Being Kenobi: Life of Lies
by LilyWanKenobi
Summary: Korkie Kryze never knew what he expected to happen when he asked to go to Coruscant for his seventeenth birthday, but finding himself entangled in a Jedi investigation centered around a slaving ring wasn't it. He doesn't regret saving her, but who would have known the lies that would finally be revealed?
1. Prologue

Korkie stared at the starfighters in awe. He was close enough to see his reflection in the gleaming metal, close enough to touch them if he wanted to. There were two, one yellow and the other red, the latest model available. The Jedi crest painted on the wings left no room for doubt as to who they belonged to, and he couldn't help but hope that he might catch a glance of the pilots.

An r4 unit tootled cheerfully from it's hardwired position at the front of the red starfighter, conversing eagerly with a blue r2 unit and gold protocol droid. Even though he wasn't fluent in Binary, Korkie could pick up a few words in the rapid fire conversation between the three. From the protocol droid's occasional cry of dismay or frightened inquiry, the astromech's were relating some sort of detailed retelling of a mission they had lately been on that included several harrowing escapes.

Glancing around to see if anyone was watching, he cautiously reached a hand out to touch the shining hull of the ship. As long as he could remember, he had wanted to fly a starfighter, and this would likely be the closest chance he would get. But a second before his finger made contact with the small craft, the r4 unit let out an indignant beep, trilling something in binary that he didn't understand.

"May I help you?"

He whirled at the sound of the voice behind him, completely caught off guard. Almost immediately he recognized Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, having seen him across the holonet hundreds of times. He looked only slightly different in real life, the dark circles under his eyes and fine laugh lines at the corners of his eyes a telling sign that war was not as glamorous as it was pronounced to be.

But that wasn't how Korkie knew him. To this day, he remembered the Jedi from a time far before the war, when he'd only been Padawan Kenobi. He'd only been five when the Trade Federation had occupied Naboo, but he still remembered the news anchor reporting the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, Kenobi's master. His aunt had explained to him then how she knew the two Jedi, who seemed to be the only ones she had an amicable relationship with.

And here he was, in the flesh.

Suddenly, he realised the man was waiting for him to answer his question. Korkie felt his face flush. "I… I just wanted to look at your starfighter. I've never seen one up close."

The Jedi smiled, the hint of a dimple appearing in his cheek. "Is this your first time on Coruscant?"

"Yes." He'd been once before, but only on a school trip when he was seven. "Is it new?"

"Not new, no. Just recently cleaned." The man touched the fighter foundly. "There's word that we'll be getting replacements soon. I'll miss her."

"Miss who, Master?"

Obi-Wan glanced up at the blonde Jedi approaching them. "Nothing of importance. Where did you disappear off to?"

Anakin Skywalker-it was impossible not to recognize one of the most famous people in the entire galaxy-mumbled something unintelligible before turning to Korkie. "And who's this?"

"Korkie Kryze, of Kalevala."

Recognition lit in Kenobi's eyes. "You're related to Satine, then?"

 _Satine_. So the Jedi did remember her. "Yes, I'm her nephew." Curiosity rose. "You know her?"

Something-he didn't know exactly what-clouded Obi-Wan's eyes. Bittersweet was the only word he had for the emotion. "I did."

Skywalker raised a skeptical eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Korkie!"

Hearing his aunt's call, he turned to see her and the Senator Amidala approaching them. Her eyes flickered over his shoulder briefly, and he immediately sensed the shift in her attitude.. Though her smile remained the same, he could see her closing herself off. "Master Kenobi, Jedi Skywalker, a pleasure to see you here."

The Jedi bowed, Obi-Wan's a bit stiff and formal, and Skywalker's full of dramatic flair as he offered the two women a wink. "Duchess, Padmé."

Senator Amidala smiled fondly at the Jedi. "Anakin, Obi-Wan, it's good to see you again. I hope you've fully recovered, Obi-Wan. The Republic is deeply indebted to you."

Obi-Wan's face relaxed somewhat, and he offered the Senator a small smile. "I'm… better, thank you. I'll certainly feel better once I have a bit of leave."

Anakin grinned. "Which he's been avoiding like the plague. I don't think he even sleeps anymore."

"Death has a way of rearranging one's priorities," Obi-Wan murmured softly, frowning. "If you'll excuse us, Senator, Duchess, we must be going."

He sensed her words a few seconds before they left her mouth.

"Obi-Wan, wait." There was a desparation in her voice that Korkie hadn't heard in years. Desparation that echoed with a sadness that seemed to roll off of her in waves.

The Jedi hesitated for a single second. Then, with a small smile, he bowed again. "Take care of yourself, Satine."

He thought she was going to break, but she didn't. Instead, she drew herself together and forced an understanding, if pained, smile. "Don't die this time, if you please."

A moment of mutual understanding passed between the two before Kenobi turned to climb into his starfighter. "Come, Anakin, we were supposed to be halfway to the rendezvous point by now."

"Yes, Master." The younger Jedi offered them a salute before dramatically flipping into his cockpit. "See ya, Padmé, threepio. Ready, artoo?"

The blue droid trilled a response as he settled in his spot, prompting a grin from Anakin, and a shake of the head from Obi-Wan. Before he knew it, the fighters hummed to life, and his aunt was pulling him back. A small but enthusiastic wave from Skywalker, and the tiny ships were lifting off of the landing pad and speeding off into the busy world of Coruscant.

The Senator and his aunt both sighed gently and turned to walk back in the direction of where the speeder was waiting, but Korkie stood there for a few more moments, straining to catch the last glimpse of the Jedi duo.

Kenobi and Skywalker. The Negotiator and the Hero with no Fear. Considered by most to be two of the best Jedi in the galaxy. Anakin Skywalker alone was widely considered to be the best Jedi, if the media were to be believed. But even though Korkie had little doubt that it was true, it had been the Master who had caught his attention.

Obi-Wan Kenobi. Even from the short time he had met the man, he instinctually knew this would not be the last he saw of the Jedi.

* * *

 **It's here! The official prologue for Being Kenobi: Life of Lies. And surprisingly, right on time!**

 **Thank everyone so much for supporting all of the prequels of this story! It's been absolutely amazing! And, since they were all one shots where I couldn't reply to your comments, I'll put them here!**

 **First: Love You Too Much to Let Go**

 **Jxjxjx (Ao3): Thank you! Funny thing, I actually was thinking about doing that. Any suggestions of who else you'd like to see?**

 **Rachaelizame (Ao3): Thank you so much! Baby Korkie is my new guilty pleasure to write, lol. Don't worry, Satine's reasoning will come out in this story, as well as several other secrets that have yet to be told. :)**

 **Guest (FF): I know… *Cries for baby Korkie*. Please, leave a name so I can make sure to reply to you personally!**

 **Jxjxjx (FF): Well, hello again! I hope this satisfied your desire for a fa… oops, I meant Obi-Wan Korkie meeting. Don't worry if it seemed short, there's plenty more where this came from.**

 **And Now: This is Awkward**

 **NikyNox (Ao3): No… this is awkward. ;] I assure you, Satine needs every feel she can get! And shhh! Don't give away too many spoilers!**

 **Jxjxjx (Ao3): Thank you so much, and if you're reading this, I can only hope you were not disappointed.**

 **Cool_Kat_101 (Ao3): I know, right? I feel like feels and angst is my favorite place to go… I hope you like the beginning!**

 **Rainingsun02811 (Ao3): You asked, I answered!**

 **Guest (FF): Thank you, and here you are! Also, leave a name next time so I can make sure to reply to you personally!**

 **ii Digestive Reader ii (FF): Thank you so much for popping by! I love your stories, especially Cyar'ika Jetti. As you may know by now if you are reading this, yes, This is Awkward is the second part to a series of mine called Being Kenobi. Happy reading & writing!**

 **mlovesc (FF): Shh, shh! Can't be giving away any secrets, can you?**

 **Whoa, that was a lot! Thank you guys for the loads of kudos, favorites, follows, and subscriptions you've left me, it's been a real encouragement. I've been so eager to start this story, and I'm hoping you are too. Thank you for your patience as I cross-publish this on both Fanfiction and Ao3, which makes replying to reviews so much harder and giving my usual kudo/favorite/follow shoutout virtually impossible. It may be a hot second before chapter one is up, since I'm dedicating most of my time to finishing Vanished, which you can find on my Fanfiction profile. Be sure to check my Tumblr for any news of updates and potential spoilers, and don't be afraid to dm me and tell me what you're thinking. Also, I will soon be taking requests for a collection of oneshots about Baby Korkie, so be ready with your ideas!**

 **Trivia: The author's note made up nearly a third of the chapter in word count.**


	2. Chapter One: The Beginning of the End

Chapter One: The Beginning of the End

His aunt would never approve.

Korkie Kryze sipped on his whiskey, doing his best to blend in with the other bar occupants. It was his third time there, but there were still a few curious glances turned in his direction on occasion. Even now, he could feel eyes on the back of his head, likely from the smuggler in the leather jacket. Each night, he had watched him, to what end, Korkie didn't know.

But he had a feeling that he would find out soon.

Cheers went up from all around him, drawing his eyes back to their original focus. Bathed in pulsing blue and purple lights, the stage at the front of the room was the main attraction. The first act, two scantily dressed purple twi'leks, sauntered off the platform, hips and breasts swaying sensually. But their movements went unnoticed by him, even when one shot him a sultrily wink.

His eyes were fixed on the stage entrance, waiting for what he knew was coming. Only three nights, and he already knew her. Not that there was much to know.

Tonight. He would approach her tonight.

If he lasted that long without embarrassing himself. He shifted uncomfortably, remembering with keen regret that alcohol and self-control rarely went hand in hand.

She was younger than most of the other performers, but nothing about her body said it. Generous curves gave her figure a stark contrast to the girls he was used to seeing, the honeyed skin only serving to increase the difference. Tonight, her hair was a curly gold, contrasting sharply with the startling deep purple of her contact lenses. Just like the heavy makeup and skimpy silk garb, they changed every night.

His aunt would never approve.

Her hands, the only small thing about her, grasped the silver pole in the center of the platform, and with a strength that seemed almost impossible, she pulled herself a full two feet off the ground before spinning around.

He was ruined.

"Sir?"

Korkie started, nearly spilling his drink. Relief filled him when he saw one of the bartenders, but it did nothing to assuage the guilt gnawing in his gut. "Yes?"

"There's a gentleman at the bar who wants to speak to you." The barkeeper pointed to a patron sipping on a drink, and Korkie was sure his heart stopped.

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Well, shavit.

Of course he would have to be at the same bar as the only Jedi in the galaxy who knew his aunt personally.

Blast all the force-forsaken kriffing bantha poodoo.

Abandoning his drink with a hefty tip, he glanced back at the stage one more time, catching a fleeting glimpse of her voluptuous figure curved around the slender silver pole gracefully.

 _Goodbye_.

When he looked back to the bar, Kenobi was watching him with a small, amused smile, twirling his shot around in its glass before tossing it back. Korkie didn't say a word as he followed him out of the bar and into the dimly lit Coruscanti underbelly.

"Does Satine know you're here?"

"Yes." The lie slipped out easily, too easily.

The Jedi raised an eyebrow. "A word of wisdom, young one. Don't ever lie to a Jedi." His eyes flickered to the doorway as bawdy cheers erupted, signalling the climax of the performance. Korkie flinched, knowing that even as they stood there, one of the audience members was likely approaching her, touching her, asking her what no decent man would.

Would she say yes?

His gut twisted at the very thought.

"You're no better than them, though, are you?"

For a moment, he thought the words were from his seemingly dormant conscious, but the distinct Coruscanti accent suggested that it was not so.

"She doesn't want to be in there." It wasn't the first time he had said it, but it was the first time he had said it aloud, to anyone other than himself.

Kenobi seemed unconvinced. "And you know this how? I suppose you asked her?"

Warning bells went off in his head, but he didn't know why. "I don't… No, but…"

"But?"

"I just… I know, okay?" Something in the Jedi's eyes made him uncomfortable, and he forced himself to look away. "I know."

More cheers wafted through the air, likely signalling the beginning of the next act, and he could feel his blood boil. Not five minutes ago, they'd been cheering for her, and already their attention was diverted. Momentary entertainment, that was all she was to them. No sooner than she was out of their sight, their lusts were focused on the next set of tits.

Three nights. It had been all it took to be completely taken. He'd never touched her, yet he could have sworn that it was her skin that he felt in his dreams. He was obsessed with her, with the mystery that was her.

"Hey, Kenobi!" A dark skinned man with a yellow stripe tattooed across her nose jogged up to them, followed closely by a blue twi'lek woman and green nautolan man, both who looked slightly familiar. "You just making it?"

Kenobi's eyebrows raised, seemingly amused. "Actually, Vos, I was on time. Just stepped out to speak to this young man for a moment."

Immediately, the man's focus switched to him, curiosity shining in the dark eyes. "Not another fan?"

"Hey Quinlan, Aayla, look at him. Who does he look like?" the Nautolan grinned, seemingly oblivious to his presence. "The hair, the eyebrows, the chin…"

The twi'lek burst out laughing, leaning against Vos's shoulder, who also broke into a grin. "He does look a bit like our Oafy, doesn't he? You didn't tell us you had a kid, Kenobi."

The Jedi Master's amusement was clear as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm afraid I must have also been excluded from the secret, for no one told me. But on a serious note, Quinlan, Aayla, Kit, this is Korkie Kryze."

The Nautolan's eyes seemed to grow larger than ever, and Vos and the twi'lek's laughter immediately turned to a hacking cough, "What the hell, Kenobi?" the man sputtered. "You know I was joking, right? Kriff, I knew you and the Duchess were tangoing between the sheets, but I didn't know…"

"If you had let me finish," here, Kenobi pinned his friend with a stern look, "I would have mentioned that he is Satine's _nephew_."

The hacking discontinued, and relief crossed the trio's face all at once. Quinlan punched his friend in the shoulder indignantly. "Gods, Kenobi, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Don't ever do anything like that again." He grinned at Korkie, seemingly back to normal. "Though Force knows the kid looks like you. Sure you didn't leave more than your robe with your little Duchess?"

Kenobi didn't hesitate to contradict his friend's jab, returning it with one of his own that was taken with equal good humor. But for some reason, the exchange didn't sit well with Korkie. It felt as if something inside of him was trying to tell him something from it, something about himself. But what?

"Korkie," the rich Coruscanti accent startled him out of his thoughts once again, and Kenobi raised an eyebrow. "Remember what I told you, and tell her Grace I might be by soon."

"Yes, sir." He backed up quickly, suddenly wanting to be anywhere except for there. The whiskey was finally effecting him, muddling his sense of truth. Suddenly- he had no idea why- the Jedi's teasing words all seemed to ring true to his mind. And surely he hadn't meant… that… when he said a tango between the sheets, right?

Back inside the bar, any trace of her was gone. A trio of Togrutans were on stage, the lights glinting off of glittering piercings and metallic tattoos as they displayed feats of flexibility. Someone had taken both his seat and his whiskey, but he had no interest in either anymore. The room felt close, the music too loud, the company bawdy and uncivilized. Quickly retrieving his jacket, which was thankfully still under his seat, he was about to leave when one of the patrons waved him over.

The smuggler, the one who'd been watching him. Glossy, jet black hair was carefully combed back, reflecting the same arrogance as the smirk he wore. His jacket and leather holster looked expensive, but there was nothing cultured about the man.

Everything about him screamed _snake_.

"Hey, kid." An ostentatious gold tooth glinted in the strangers mouth, further confirming him to be rich but uncultured. "Your old man making you go?"

It took him a few minutes to realize he was talking about Master Kenobi, but when he did, Korkie bristled. Why did everyone think the man was his father tonight? "He's not my old man. I don't even know him." The alcohol was slowly taking over his senses, making him lose grip on his temper, already always on a thin leash. "I've seen what I wanted to see. You got a problem with that?"

The man's greasy eyebrows shot up, and he grinned. "Easy, friend. I don't mean no harm." He tried to clap him on his back, but Korkie shrugged him off, stepping away. "A bit feisty, are ya? Well, no harm done."

Something about the man's nonchalant attitude irritated him. "What do you want?"

The grin slipped for a moment. "Saw you watching Amadi."

"What?"

He nodded to the stage. "The girl on the pole. Amadi."

Amadi. His chest clenched some. That was her name. "Ah, her."

Shrewd eyes watched him from over a glass of whiskey. "You like?"

 _Never let them know they have your interest_. It was one of his aunt's favorite things to say, though she probably meant about politicians instead of smugglers. Okay, scratch that. Definitely. "She's okay."

"She's okay," the smuggler repeated, eyes narrowing. He tried a different tack. "I know her."

Korkie hummed noncommittally, drumming his fingers absently on the table top.

Frustration radiated off of the man, showing in the way he sat forward tensely. "I'm supposed to meet her, tomorrow night. Take her home, that kind of stuff. Thing is, I've got a load early tomorrow morning, and I might not get back in time, but I paid her good money." The corner of his mouth tugged up in a smirk. "I might be persuaded to let someone else take her, if they're interested."

Money. Of course that's what it came down to. "And what would someone need to persuade you?"

"Two and a half grand would about do it."

Korkie scoffed. "Twenty five hundred credits? No girl's worth that." The man must be desperate.

"Amadi is." He grinned, leaning back and making obscene motions with his hands. "That girl knows how to give it to you. Mind you, I paid almost twice that much for her."

Everything rang true, and blast it, the offer was tempting. "Even if I wanted her…" which he did, and badly. "...I'm sure it would be much simpler to deal with the woman directly. After all, what's to say you're not lying to me?"

The man tossed back the remainder of his drink, seemingly unconcerned. "Nothing. But then, what's to say she'll be here for anyone to ask her? You see, my friend, girls like her move around often. A few days here, a few days there. Never too long in one spot, or things start to look suspicious, if you know what I mean."

Korkie didn't, but he sensed the truth in his words. "Two thousand."

.A smirk, and the man sat back. "Done."

* * *

Something was off.

Satine watched Korkie carefully as they ate breakfast. For the past few days, he'd seemed absent, and today more than usual. There were dark circles around his eyes, suggesting that he hadn't been sleeping well. It was his first time being on Coruscant with her; it was too risky to bring him, though it was better now. Perhaps the thrill of being on the city-world was keeping him up.

"Auntie?"

Her heart stuttered at the title as it always did. "Yes, Korkie?"

"Who were my parents?" Ocean blue eyes- she would be lying if she said they were not identical to her own- gazed back at her, seemingly unaware of what they were asking. "I mean, I know I'm your nephew, but how, exactly?"

Of course he would want to know. She had known this day would come, and had honestly thought it would come sooner. Yet, she still wasn't prepared. "You were my brother's son, as I told you before. Your mother was a nobody, a girl who didn't want a child." The lies tasted as foul on her tongue as the parfait she'd been nibbling at. "He was killed several months before your birth, in a bombing on Kalevala, and she disappeared shortly after you were born. As my only living relation, I took you in."

His brow furrowed, and he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "The bombings… that's wrong."

She blinked. "What?"

"They only bombed Kalevala twice. The second time was over a year before I was born."

A quick mental calculation proved he was right. Blast it, why hadn't she realized it before? "There must have been a mistake."

His eyes narrowed. "Or my mother was lying."

"I'll check the files after breakfast," she promised, knowing that there were no such files to look at. "Someone probably made an error."

He grunted, turning back to his food. She sighed in relief, glad that he had let the subject go. But peace could only reign for so long.

"How did you know Master Kenobi?"

She choked on her tea, forcing her to cough into her napkin. Surely he had not asked what she thought he asked. "What?"

Blue eyes bored into hers, and she knew he knew something. What other reason could there be? "I asked how you met Master Kenobi."

"He and his former Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, were sent to protect me when Sundari fell." Best to go with the truth. "Why do you ask?"

Korkie ignored her question. "Were you close?"

He knew, oh Force, he knew. But how? What had he seen or heard to make him put two and two together? "We were… friends, if you will. As you may imagine, the war didn't give us much time to build relationships." She tried to search his expression for any clue of what had brought this on, but his face remained impassive. "What is it, Korkie?"

"I went… out… last night, to clear my head, and I ran into him and some of his friends. He recognized me." Here, his eyes dropped, and Satine knew there was more to the story than what he was telling. "When he told his friends who I was, they made… insinuations… that you were… you had…" His face turned bright red, and Satine knew exactly what had been said.

"That we had sex?" His face flushed brighter, and he nodded. _Damn you, Obi-Wan and your uncouth friends_. "I see."

"He's a Jedi."

The reminder was a swift, cruel dagger to her heart. "Yes."

"Did he…" The boy swallowed, seeming almost afraid to finish his question. "Did he force you?"

Force, this was one of the strangest conversations she had ever had. And with _Korkie_ , nonetheless. "It was consensual."

"Did you love him?"

"He was a Jedi." Tears pricked her eyes, and she looked away so he wouldn't see them. "He never could have stayed."

* * *

 **Wow! First chapter and already so much is happening! To be honest, when I wrote this and the next two chapters, I had very little intention of ever posting it, and ended up going back and dividing it up into something that resembled chapters. I know there's a lot to comprehend, but I really couldn't find a better place to end it at.**

 **Thank you to all of the new kudos/favorites/subscriptions/follows/bookmarks, you guys are awesome! And for all of you who have visited my Tumblr and left likes and/or comments, thank you so much!**

 **Now, for my lovely reviewers:**

 **Rachaelizame (Ao3): I'm so glad you like this! It's always encouraging to know that people look forward to my works. Korkie is such a fun character to write, as is Obi-Wan. I hope you liked this chapter as well!**

 **ry1765 (Ao3): I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews like yours make my day, and I hope that you're not disappointed.**

 **barelypassing4sane (FF): I hope we didn't disappoint!**

 **DogsAreTheBest312 (Ao3): Thank you so much! It may not come as a surprise to you (seeing as I am writing this) but I love our Duchess and Jedi as well.**

 **CCA03 (Ao3): I'm glad you've decided to join us for this little adventure! Your enthusiasm inspires me so much!**

 **Rachael (FF): I'm so glad you caught that! Don't worry, it won't be the last reminder we have of his younger days.**

 **Next time: Hautings of the Past. We've seen a bit of Korkie, a bit of Satine, and now we'll get to see a bit of Obi-Wan & friends. **


	3. Chapter Two: Hauntings of the Past

"Oh hey, Kenobi, there's your kid again."

Obi-Wan frowned as he saw the boy enter the dimly lit bar, immediately taking the same seat as he had the night before. "He's not my kid, Quinlan." In the beginning, the Kiffar's teasing hadn't bothered him, amused him even. But now, it was plain annoying. "Remember what we're here for. If Mandalorian heirs want to spend their evenings in drunken debauchery, that's their choice."

Quinlan backed off, raising his hands defensively. "Easy, Kenobi. I was just messing with you. What's got your boxers in a twist?"

"Nothing." The word came out sharper than he meant it, and he looked away from his friend's inquisitive gaze. "I'm going to get another drink. Anyone want one?"

"You sure that's a good idea?" Aayla asked, frowning.

He stiffened. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Kit's brow furrowed. "What's up with you, Obi-Wan? If you've got an issue, go ahead and spit it out."

Obi-Wan drummed his fingers on the tabletop idly. "I'm sorry. It's been a long few days. I don't think I've slept since…" he exhaled slowly. "Force, I don't know when. Since my last mission, maybe?"

"Shavit, Obi-Wan, that's been almost a week ago!" Aayla glared at him. "What are you doing with your time?'

"Teaching meditation in the mornings, helping Ahsoka with homework in the afternoons, council meetings in between, and this at night. I don't think I've recovered since the mess with Hardeen" More likely what had happened after that. Trying not to think of it, he let his gaze drift to the boy. Satine's nephew. He was sitting alone, sipping on something that the bartender had brought him. Did she know this was where he came, drinking and watching the girls dance? "But don't worry about me. As soon as this mission is over, I'll rest. I sense that we're close."

His friends exchanged looks, but didn't say a word.

Good. The last thing he needed was more people worrying about him. For force sakes, _he_ was beginning to worry about himself.

He needed another glass of whiskey.

Cheers erupted, and Aayla stood. "That's my cue. Sit tight, boys, and watch the show." The metallic tassels adorning her skimpy outfit shimmered and glittered as she sauntered towards the stage.

Quinlan nudged him with a grin. "Hey, eyes where I can see them. That's my padawan you're looking at, perv."

Irritation welled. "I wasn't…"

"Look, I know you're not getting a lot of action from your little Duchess…"

Something in him snapped. "She's not my Duchess, damn it! She never has been, and never will be, so just shut the bloody hell up Vos, before I do it for you." He swore when the glass in his hand cracked and a shard lodged in his palm. He knew his friends were watching him oddly, but for once he didn't care. Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his seat, exhaling slowly. "The purple twi'lek with a Krayt tattoo talking to the spacer at two o' clock. She's our target."

"What…"

"Unarmed, only a messenger. Likely a dropoff girl. I'll wager our friend won't come here." He opened his eyes again, ignoring the incredulous look the Kiffar gave him. "She'll meet him tonight. The question is simply where."

Quinlan threw up his hands. "I give up."

Aayla was on the stage now, and nearly every eye in the place was focused on her.

Then there was the boy.

Why did he keep thinking of him? He was Satine's nephew, yes, but surely that was no reason for this… fascination?

But why? What was so special, so different about him? He was just another boy, sitting in a bar and watching the girls dance.

Except he wasn't.

Korkie's eyes were not fastened to the stage where Aayla danced, but instead were going around the room absently, as if he was bored with the performance. It was something completely different from the intent gaze Obi-Wan had seen the night before.

 _She doesn't want to be in there_.

The girl. He was here for the girl. But why? What connection was she to him? What was it about her that made him deceive his aunt to come here?

Obi-Wan sighed, running his hand through his hair distractedly. So many questions, so few answers.

"And there's the signal. Let's move, boys." Quinlan rose, tossing back the remainder of his drink. "Let's get this done so we can go home."

* * *

Korkie paced the hotel room anxiously. She wasn't coming, he was sure of it. He'd shelled out a good portion of his savings for this, and he was almost positive that the smuggler had stood him up. He had a bad feeling about the whole thing, but he couldn't put his finger on the source.

He wanted to dismiss the feeling, but he'd learned long ago not to. Even his aunt had said that he almost seemed to be able to sense things before they even happened, a trait he had gotten from his father.

Or had he? Korkie had seen the panic in her eyes when he'd asked about him, about both his parents. She hadn't told him the full truth, of that he was sure, but he wasn't sure what she had been lying about. What need would there be to lie, about any of it?

Then, all thoughts fled his mind.

She was here. Except…

She wasn't alone.

In three steps, he was across the room, pressing his ear to the door. There were two presences besides her, and one of them was suspiciously familiar.

The smuggler.

But what was he doing here?

Korkie could hear him speaking, but the language was foreign. He recognized one or two words and Amadi's name, but that was it. But there was a feeling of urgency, of deception about the situation that made him uneasy.

The smuggler was leaving now, but he didn't go far. The third person- he was pretty sure it was a woman- was talking quietly, but authoritatively. Then, she too left.

Stepping back from the door, Korkie tried to assume a casual stance at the window. His heart was beating a staccato rhythm, and he had to pause to calm himself. His aunt had taught it to him when he was young, to find focus amongst the chaos. Even now, he focused on her voice, trying to follow her instructions.

 _Concentrate on the hear and now, young one. Focus. Reach out and feel the peace, then find it within you_.

As usual, the pounding of his heart eased and a sense of calm flowed through him. The technique had been one of the many she had taught him as a boy, and probably the one he used most often. That, and tracking people, which was more of a subconscious thing.

It was also the only thing she had made him swear never to tell anyone. It was a gift, a talent that he had gotten from his father, but it was also something that people would want to use. Some for good, some for bad.

He'd been five then, too young to really know what exactly he was promising.

Then, a few months later, just before his sixth birthday, everything changed.

One day, she'd sat him down and told him that he would no longer live with her. The Royal Academy had just been completed, and he would be one of its first students.

That had been the first of many birthdays he'd spent alone. For the first few years, he'd held out hope. After all, his birthday had always been a much celebrated event at the palace. But there was nothing but a short comm call late that night, and the next morning a model ship and a VIP pass to the space museum. After that, the calls became shorter, later, more distracted. Once she'd forgotten completely and hadn't remembered until a week later.

He should have been used to it. Shouldn't have been upset when the IOU came like it always did. Should have been grateful that he had an aunt that usually remembered to take time out of her busy life to send him a message and a gift. Should have contented himself with whatever extravagant present showed up at the Academy.

And yet, he wasn't.

But two months ago, something had happened. His aunt had made an emergency trip to Coruscant to attend Master Kenobi's fake funeral. She had never offered him an explanation of what had happened during that time, but he was certain that it had been the beginning of the change.

She'd gotten quieter, more reserved, but at the same time, it seemed like she was trying to mend the rift that had grown between them over the past decade. Inviting him to dine with her twice a week, Taking a full week off from work for his seventeenth birthday, bringing him to Coruscant despite the fact that she'd always avoided taking him there as if there was a plague.

He remembered asking her why. Why he had to live with her. Why he couldn't live with her. Why the techniques she'd taught him never seemed to work when he tried to teach his friends. Why she never would take him with her to Coruscant.

Then, there were all the questions he'd wanted to ask, but never seemed to get around to asking her. Why he dreamt about seeing her, but never his mother. Why she'd distanced herself from him. Why she'd always discouraged him from talking about his family situation around any of his friends. Why she'd changed over the last two months. Why she'd suddenly become so interested in his life. Why she lied to him about his parents. Why he was different. Why he seemed to feel a connection to her former lover.

So many questions that had no answers in return.

The gentle creak of the mattress behind him reminded him that he wasn't alone in the room. He exhaled slowly, relaxing as he gently probed Amadi's presence. She'd taught him that as well, telling him repeatedly that his emotions influenced the people around him, and that if he could not at least actually release his feeling, then he needed to hide them.

He'd proven especially adept at that, to the point that he could usually hide things from her, and she had practically raised him as her own.

So now, when he turned to face the skimpily clad girl kneeling on the bed, he knew that his face was impassive. The last thing he wanted was for her to realize how absolutely terrified he was about the whole situation and read his fear as anger.

 _Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering…_

Now where had he heard that?

Amadi knelt in the very center of the king size bed, head bowed and full lips parted. Now that he as so close, he could see slight details that he had missed before. The delicate lashes, dark eyebrows. She was wearing a green wig and contacts, hiding their true color, but he'd already made up his mind not to ask her to take them off.

He had very few goals for the night: talk to her, convince her not to leave, and earn her trust. Three very simple, but very difficult tasks to complete.

"Amadi?" She didn't look up, keeping her eyes focused on the silk sheets covering the bed. So, she was shy. Another minor obstacle to overcome.

Kneeling on the bed in front of her, he hooked a finger under her chin to bring her gaze up to meet his. Almost immediately, she responded, pressing her lips to his.

Shock. It was the first thing he felt. He'd never kissed or been kissed, and this was unfamiliar territory that he was treading. For a few seconds, he froze completely, not sure what to do, but she took the reins, coaxing his lips apart with her own until he slowly figured out what he was supposed to be doing.

That brought a whole new sensation. Desire, red hot in its intensity and begging to be obliged. In an instant, it took over his natural instincts, somehow kindling the innate knowledge that he'd been programmed with from birth.

Unlike most children, whose parents took the time to explain what happened beyond kissing, Korkie had been obliged to find out the majority of what he knew through his own resources. He wasn't sure if his aunt had purposefully or accidently neglected to tell him that information, but most of what he knew came from overheard descriptions of lewd acts from fellow students at the Academy and what he'd seen on his infrequent trips to bars.

Man kiss woman, woman kiss man. Both man and woman mysteriously lose all clothes, closely followed by the man sticking his now substantially stiffer richard into her substantially softer and wetter kitten, whereupon some motion would happen until both would secrete.

It had always been a mysterious process that he'd never endeavoured to find out more about. But at this moment, when her lips were sealed to his as if he was her last source of oxygen, he was beginning to regret his utter lack of interest.

His hands, desperate for some occupation, found her waist, bare and smooth. Before, he had noticed her clothing (or lack thereof), but hadn't really paid any attention to it. But now, as his hand instinctively found the curve of her hip, something told him that she was too far away, that they needed to be closer.

Korkie wouldn't lie and say he'd never been attracted to a girl, or that he'd never woken up with an uncomfortable issue after dreaming of a sensual tangle of feminine arms and legs, but it had never been like this. This… this was more than a slight urge. It was full blown _need_ , taking all of his good intentions and throwing them out the window.

He had to get a grip.

Dragging himself away from her with a gasp, he forced himself to look her in the eye. He'd come here for a reason, and it wasn't a tumble between the sheets.

"Amadi…" Her eyes snapped to his face, and a small, hesitant smile crossed her lips. In that moment, he saw something flash in her eyes. A hint of childish innocence had flickered there, followed by a flare of anticipation and desire. Strange. It didn't look anything like the knowing leers other women had offered him.

A warning echoed through his mind, causing him to tense.

Something was wrong.

Amadi stiffened in his arms, her eyes widening slightly, the fear clear in them. He wanted to comfort her, to soothe her, but his mind was far away, trying to identify the source of his sudden panic.

 _Focus_.

He blinked. Where had that come from?

Heavy footsteps sounded in the hall, and he immediately recognized the presence as the smuggler, inebriated and unfocused. A moment later, the door opened, and he stumbled in, clutching a holdout blaster tightly. His eyes were glazed over and wild as they fastened on them, and Korkie fought the urge to recoil as the scent of drink soured breath hit him.

"What are you…"

The smuggler immediately charged forward and grabbed Amadi's wrist, saying something harshly. She cried out in pain, reflexively resisting his grip. Before Korkie even realized what was happening, he'd dragged her across the bed, ignoring their cries of protest.

Korkie started up to stop him, but stopped abruptly when he was faced with the end of the blaster. He'd never been shot, but he'd been born with the innate knowledge that it was not something he ever wanted.

A satisfied gleam flickered in the smugglers eye, and he began to back away, dragging Amadi with him. "There, boy. I'm sorry about this, but we've got a ship to catch."

"What do you want her for?" His voice was calmer than he felt as he eyed a large pot on the shelf by the door. "We had a deal. My money for your time with her."

"Yeah? Well time's up." He hauled her up, rebuking her sharply when she whimpered in pain. "Look, kid, I don't want to hurt you. So if you just sit quietly while we go, everything will be good, see?"

Korkie didn't see anything besides the pain on Amadi's face. "Look, I'll pay you whatever you're out for the night. Just… don't hurt her, please."

The smuggler's eyes narrowed, and he jerked her up roughly, wrapping his arm around her neck. "Who do you think you are, kid? You can't just go around buying up every slave that catches your eye."

 _Slave_. Amadi was a slave, to this greasy, arrogant, vulgar smuggler. Suddenly, everything made sense. His offer, the threat of leaving, his knowing so much about her…

She was a _slave_.

Kriffing hell. What had he gotten himself into? There was no way… there would be no way to save her without buying her, and there were two minor problems with that.

First, the amount of money he would have to hand over would mean that his aunt would immediately be notified of his purchase. Secondly, and more importantly, even if he could bluff his way out of telling his aunt what he'd spent the credits on, where would he keep Amadi?

The sound of the door opening as the smuggler attempted to escape shook him out of his thoughts.

"How much?"

The smuggler paused, one greasy eyebrow raising incredulously even as a sparkle of greed lit in his eye. "Look, kid, she's valuable. You could never hope to…"

Korkie pulled out his wallet and opened it, pulling out several credit chips, each worth a few hundred credits. He tossed them on the bed, halfway between the two of them. "How much?"

The smuggler's eyes widened, fixated greedily on the currency. "Fifteen thousand."

"Three. With the two I gave you, that will make five." He had five in cash, but there was nearly twenty in his savings. One of the perks of being the ducal heir, especially since he'd hardly ever spent any of it. But he was willing to give it all to see her safe.

The smuggler-or should he be called a slaver?-scoffed, yanking Amadi up by her arm. "You want me to _give_ her to you? This is prime entertainment material, never been touched. Fifteen will make sure you're the first."

Korkie didn't let his surprise show. Most show girls were rented out every night, if not several times a night. That much he knew from his social studies class. It was also yet another reason why women like her were so much more valuable. "I only have five in cash."

The greasy smile was back. "I take card." Pushing Amadi away from him, he pulled out a card reader, much used. "But that will bring the price up to Eighteen thousand. Fees and surcharges, you understand."

Enough with the haggling. He had a feeling he needed to get out of here, and soon. "You'll take fifteen thousand," he replied calmly, staring the man straight in the eye. He'd learned in public speaking class that if he spoke authoritatively enough, no one could refuse him anything- within reason, of course- and he'd been right.

Something in the man's eyes changed, and he nodded obediently. "I'll take fifteen thousand."

 _Bingo_. Korkie made a mental note to close his account as he pulled out his card. That is, if his aunt or financial advisor didn't beat him to it.

Credit signs seemed to appear in the slaver's eyes as he took the card and scanned it, keying in the amount and grinning widely when it checked out. No doubt he recognized the name of Korkie's bank. "You know, if you're ever in the market again, I've got a contact that I keep around. Purple twi'lek with a Krayt tat on her arm. Tula. She'll be able to tell you anything you want to hear."

"Thank you." His mind racing, he pocketed his card again. "Actually, my mother's birthday is coming up in a few months. She's been thinking about getting a girl to do some stuff around the place. Unless you only deal in the entertainment area."

Another flash of the gaudy gold tooth. "I don't, usually, but I might be able to make an exception. For a bit extra, even, I might be able to deliver her a few days early."

So he wasn't planning on being on Coruscant for a while. As unintrusively as possible, he grazed the man's mind. Corellia. Interesting. Korkie filed that bit of information away, not sure yet how he was going to use it. "I'll be sure to let you know." Name, name, he needed a name. But was there any way to get one without giving his own in exchange? "Ben, by the way."

The greasy hand clasped his. "Solo."

* * *

Korkie crouched in front of her, damp towel in hand. Carefully, he wiped the heavy makeup from her face, satisfaction filling him as he was finally able to see her.

Amadi. Not the girl in the bar, or the pretty entertainer to admire from afar.

She was Amadi. And she was his.

Was this why people bought slaves? To experience this euphoria of owning something so beautiful, so precious? Possesiveness unfurled, stoking the heat that burned within him. Every wipe of the towel took away the makeup and what it symbolized, breaking down the barriers between them one by one.

Her eyes appeared to be fastened to his shoulder, but he could sense the tiniest bit of trust slowly extended itself. Earlier, she'd been scared, even if she'd tried to hide it. The fear had been clear in her eyes from the time Solo had drawn her aside after their transaction. He'd read somewhere that slaves hated being sold, no matter how bad their current owner was, just in case the next one was worse.

He'd wanted to assuage her fears, tell her that everything was going to turn out all right, but he couldn't bring himself to do it when he didn't know himself what was going to happen. They'd been fortunate enough to sneak in without waking his aunt and calling down her wrath. Force knew he'd have hell to pay in the morning. But despite knowing that he was definitely going to be in trouble, he couldn't find it in himself to be worried about that when there was the possibility that she might leave Amadi to fend for herself.

He pushed that particularly unpleasant thought aside, choosing to concentrate on what he was faced with at the moment.

 _Be mindful of the future, but not at the expense of the moment_.

Wiping the last of the thick makeup from her face, he paused for a moment to take her in. Finally clean, her skin glowed the color of warm caramel. A tiny smattering of honey-colored freckles adorned her nose and cheeks, making her seem even younger than he'd initially thought. A small, pale scar ran from the left corner of her mouth to disappear into the metal choker around her neck.

Setting aside the towel, he began to meticulously take off the gaudy collection of costume jewelry that adorned her. Earrings, choker, nose ring, and some sort of forehead chain were carefully removed and set aside, as was the half a dozen gold-colored cuffs and numerous bangles on her arms and wrists.

Next, he began the tedious job of pulling the seemingly endless hairpins from the wig. It was a long and tiring process, to hunt for the tiny pins through the cheap and badly kept green hairpiece, and it took him a good five minutes to find them all. But once he had, he was rewarded with a soft sigh of relief and a tightly coiled braid of hair so black and glossy it almost appeared to be blue.

Another few dozen pins anchored it in place, and he wondered how anyone could bear having so many sharp pieces of metal digging into their scalp for any period of time.

Eventually, he set aside the last hairpin and began uncoiling and unbraiding the thick braid. It was oddly satisfying and soothing to see the long, curly strands come undone, to feel them flowing through his fingers, like rivulets of water.

She had beautiful hair.

He sensed a want to ask him a question, colliding with a fear of speaking without being spoken to.

"What is it?"

She gasped softly, and he knew she hadn't realized she was broadcasting her thoughts. "Nothing, Master Ben."

She'd spoken. And she'd called him Ben. He was surprised she'd remembered, for he certainly hadn't.

"Korkie." It would profit him little to have her call him by his middle name. "And you needn't call me Master. Just Korkie is fine."

Amadi paused for a moment, and he could sense her mulling over the thought. It was strange, how easily he could read her, so unlike anyone else he had ever met. Either she trusted him more than she was showing, or she had weak shields. Perhaps both.

"Korkie…" she tested the name out on her tongue, slow and precise. Her voice was soft, heavily tinted with an accent he didn't recognize. "Master. It… pleases you… to… assist me?"

He couldn't stop the smile that touched his lips at the blatant disregard of his request, put so innocently. "Yes, it does. You are very beautiful, Amadi, and any man would be proud to take care of you." Unless, of course, they were a fool, like Solo no doubt had been.

Her face flushed slightly, and he detected the smallest amount of pleasure at his words. "Shall I… assist… Master?"

"I'll manage." he quickly rebraided her hair, securing it with one of the few unbroken rubber bands that had previously served the office. "You can take your contacts out yourself, I'm sure?" At her nod, he gestured to the closet. "You can take anything from in there to sleep in. I highly doubt what you're currently wearing could be comfortable. The fresher's through there, and there's towels already in there. I'll be right back."

She nodded obediently, still unmoving. When he closed the door behind him, though, he could sense her getting up and heading in the direction of the fresher.

More than a little relieved that everything had gone so smoothly, he walked quietly past his aunt's room and into the kitchen. A quick rummage through the cooling unit and cabinets found a cheese and fruit platter, accompanied by a small tin of salt biscuits. Even though he'd eaten dinner before going out, it was well past midnight and his body was demanding nourishment. And if he was hungry, he had no doubt she was.

Armed with spoils, he crept back through the hall, carefully monitoring his aunt. Satisfied that she was still sleeping soundly, Korkie quickly slipped back into his room.

Amadi had obviously made quick work of the shower and was once again kneeling on the bed, nearly swallowed in one of his robes.

No, not his robe. His father's robe. His aunt had given it to him when he was very little, and he'd carried it with him everywhere. The thick, brown fabric-somehow coarse and soft at the same time-had always been a comfort to have, wherever he was. Long ago, it had even smelled like his father, though any scent had disappeared among the rest of his laundry. It was still in excellent shape, even if some of the color had faded and the fibers were a bit smooth in some places.

Korkie had never worn it out, because it had always been a bit large, but he'd often used it as an impromptu blanket as a child. Now, it mainly occupied his travel bag as a cherished heirloom. Now that he thought about it, it was a bit strange that it was the only thing left behind. According to his aunt, the bombings on Kalevala had destroyed most of the family's property, but how was it possible that a robe survived?

He needed sleep.

"You found something. Good. Are you hungry?"

* * *

 **Well, we're really underway now, aren't we? We've had a chance to see a bit of Obi-Wan's take on the situation, and we've seen a bit of what he thinks about Korkie. Funny thing, I actually wrote that scene before This is Awkward, and had absolutely no idea why he was being such a jerk. Why I wrote him that way? Still not entirely sure.**

 **Moving on… if you've read the prequels to this (** _ **Love You Too Much To Let Go**_ **in particular), then you probably recognized Korkie's bit of introspection. Interestingly enough, I wrote that first and ended up going back and writing** _ **Love You Too Much to Let Go**_ **afterwards because I knew I couldn't do it justice here.**

 **So, now that you know I am the queen of going back and adding things in, let me thank all of the new people who didn't mind and left kudos and favorites and follows and subscribes anyway. You guys really mean a lot to me.**

 **And now, for my darling reviewers:**

 **.L (FF): I'm sure it was! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **NikyNox (Ao3): I'm glad you're enjoying this!**

 **Crazyman844 (FF): First, your username made me laugh. Apologies for your damaged feels, though I'm not sure if this chapter would have made them better. Happy reading!**

 **ry1765 (Ao3): I hope you enjoyed this one as well! Thank you so much for leaving your thoughts!**

 **AlexaHiwatari98 (Ao3): I know! One day they will all get the happiness they deserve.**

 **Requests for baby Korkie fics are now open! If you have a scene you want to see, comment here or send them to my Tumblr page of the same name! I love all of you guys, and see you in a couple weeks!**


	4. Chapter Three: Unexpected Visitors

**This chapter has very heavy references to** _ **This is Awkward**_ **, so if you haven't read that yet, you might want to. Otherwise, here's a basic synopsis: After the Rako Hardeen Arc, Siri Tachi goes to visit Satine and attempts to dissuade her from a relationship with Obi-Wan. Later, when Obi-Wan finds out, he goes to Satine and she, drunk, convinces him to stay the night. Now, enjoy the chapter!**

Satine gazed listlessly at her hard boiled egg, her stomach turning at the very thought of consuming it. It was so shiny, and rubbery, and it wobbled whenever her fork touched it in the disconcerting way that eggs did. Not that she'd ever minded them before, but surely the way that it resembled an eyeball had never appealed to her before.

Had it?

She sighed, taking the small glass cylinder and dusting it with a layer of pepper. Better, but still not appetizing. A tentative stab with her fork did nothing to increase it's desirability, and finally, she set it aside in favor of her tea and toast.

Force, she hated morning sickness.

She was fortunate in the fact that it rarely made her physically sick, but perhaps that was simply because very little of anything ever made it into her mouth.

Nibbling at her toast, she absently wondered where Korkie had gone to the night before. He'd arrived back at the apartment late, over an hour after she'd already gone to bed, and she had yet to see him this morning.

Satine would let him sleep. It wasn't as if she had any appointments today. She'd cleared her calendar for this trip, intent on giving him her full attention.

Guilt gnawed at her, different and yet the same as the guilt that she'd felt for the past eleven years. When she'd decided to rebuild bridges, she'd thought it would assuage the ache, but it only made it worse. What else could she feel when she wasn't truly fixing the problem?

Trust and transparency. It had been the two principles she had prided herself on when she'd first ascended the throne. And yet, somewhere along the way that had changed.

If only she'd stopped at the beginning. That one, small lie could have prevented everything.

She'd been selfish. She'd known what he had been thinking, what he'd been asking, and she'd taken advantage of him She'd lied to him that night, using every excuse she could think of.

What a foolish, idiotic girl she'd been. So blinded by what she wanted that she hadn't stopped to consider what the consequences might be. Or rather, when she had, she'd pleaded ignorance.

Nine months later, when Korkie was born, she'd been forced to lie again. She'd made a promise, a vow that she wouldn't ask him to stay, and she was going to stick to it. Away on vacation at the secluded family home on Kalevala, she'd met her dead brother's girlfriend, who'd pled for her to take his child before disappearing forever.

Korkie had been accepted by the masses as the beginning of a new generation, and she'd hoped that would be the end of it. He'd grown up in the palace, and she'd spent as much time as she could with him. No matter what biological title he held, she'd wanted him to grow up knowing that he was her son. She'd taught him everything she'd known about the Force, made sure all of his needs were met, bathed him in affection. Satine had to blink back tears now, thinking about that time. In a life banished to eternal sadness, those years had been the closest to perfectly happy that she'd ever been.

Then, Qui-Gon had been killed.

She'd never wanted to push him away, but she hadn't known what else to do. Naively, she'd thought it wouldn't matter. Korkie had been so young, after all. He would forget he had any life before the Academy, where he would be safe.

The regret she'd felt had been instantaneous and crippling. She'd cried in her bed the first day that he was gone, and had refused to call him for fear of losing her resolve. It was for his own good that she didn't see him. That way, he would forget about her, and she wouldn't do something stupid and rash and bring him back home.

When his birthday had come, she'd struggled the whole day before finally allowing herself to call him.

It had been a mistake.

He'd been so excited to see her. She'd been able to see the tear stains on his cheeks even through the comm, and it had nearly broken her. She'd feigned disinterest as he enthusiastically told her about the Academy, though every word had torn into her like daggers. The longer the call went, the thinner her resolve grew, until she knew she was at her breaking point. She'd cut him off then, trying to ignore the obvious pain and sadness in his eyes. The two tickets to the space museum she had bought months before were set aside, replaced by a single VIP pass.

The call had been a test, and she'd failed.

Satine had avoided calling him after that, telling herself she needed to heal before she did so again. She'd also told herself that he was too young to care, even though that had been harder to believe.

Contrary to her hopes, it never got better. The pain was still as fresh now as it had been eleven years ago. She'd just learned to work around it.

And now she was about to go through the whole thing all over again.

It was ridiculous, if she was honest. She should have learned something from the first time around. Always use protection when you plan to drunkenly seduce Jedi Masters, or even better, don't seduce Jedi Masters at all. The latter was definitely the one she should have gone with, but it was also the one she regretted the least. What she did regret was allowing herself to bring yet another child into the world that she would never be able to truly care for as her own. And unlike with Korkie, she was all out of family members to blame.

Satine groaned, burying her face in her hands as she thought about it. There was no options like there had been with Korkie. She couldn't pass it off as another niece or nephew. It was certainly too risky for her to adopt a foundling nine months after Obi-Wan's resurrection. She didn't have anyone she could trust to take care of a child 24-7, as they would most definitely have to do. Unless some other option appeared out of the sky, she'd have to give him or her up, and she wasn't sure she could do that.

There was always the honest method, in which she would bite the bullet and admit her pregnancy to the world. Even though it wouldn't be something she wanted to admit to her people, it wasn't highly uncommon for such things to happen. Mandalorians were passionate people, and considered sex to be one of the basic necessities in life. If their duchess decided to indulge, it likely wouldn't be considered the worst thing she could do.

But there was no practical way to admit her condition without _him_ finding out about it. And considering how his friends had spoken to Korkie, it was highly likely they would immediately put two and two together as well. Which led her full circle to her promise.

She wouldn't lie and say she hadn't considered asking him to leave either time, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She'd made a promise, to herself, to him, to Qui-Gon, that she would let him choose his own path, and he had. She could never fault him for leaving, no matter how much she hated that he did.

Satine glowered at her lukewarm tea. Where was a stiff drink when she needed one?

Then again, a stiff drink had been what landed her in this situation.

Pushing her cold breakfast aside, she was moving to stand when a shadow caught her eye.

Two shadows, to be exact.

She swore under her breath, abruptly dropping back in her chair in an effort to hide her as of yet invisible baby belly.

 _Speak of the devil, and he shall appear._

Why the kriffing hell was Obi-Wan doing at her apartment at this hour in the morning? And furthermore, why was he accompanied by an eerily familiar blonde woman?

Siri Tachi didn't even hesitate to walk straight in the open entryway. "Satine, I hope we didn't interrupt your meal."

The lack of formality rankled, and Satine made a mental note to choose an apartment with an actual door next time, fresh air be damned. "Thank you, Master Tachi, but I was just finishing." She forced herself not to look at Obi-Wan as she folded her hands on the tabletop. "Can I get you anything? Tea, perhaps?"

"We're not here for a social call, Satine," the blonde replied curtly. "We'd like to speak with your guest."

Bile rose in Satine's throat, and her stomach began churning with renewed antipathy. So this was how the end began, led by the old flame of her previous lover. "Korkie is still asleep, but I can tell him you came." The last thing she wanted was to accelerate the end that was most assuredly coming. "Is there a message you would like to leave for him?"

Siri laughed humorlessly. "I'm not here to see your nephew, Satine. I will ask you again, we'd like to see the girl."

"Siri, please." Obi-Wan sighed, and for the first time, she looked at him. He looked more tired than she'd ever seen him, shoulders rounded and dark circles under his eyes. "Satine, I need to speak with Korkie about a matter that is… quite delicate."

She stiffened. "As I said, he's asleep. If you have anything you wish to say to him, you may tell me and I will relay the information to him as soon as he is awake."

"This is a Jedi matter, Duchess, that deals directly with your nephew and not with you," Siri replied, any guise of friendliness gone. "Now if you please…"

"I am his sole guardian, and as such, am legally entitled to hear of any matters that surround him, Jedi or not." Satine refused to be bullied by anyone, Siri Tachi especially. "Is there anything else?"

Siri opened her mouth to say something, but closed it when Obi-Wan shot her a look. "Actually, yes. I assume that, as his guardian, you are privy to any purchases your nephew makes?"

"Of course." The question struck her as odd, and she tried to study his face for any reason why he would ask about her finances, and found none. "I have control over his finances until he is of a legal age, though I rarely check it. I trust him implicitly."

Understanding seemed to dawn on his face, followed closely by a grim reluctance that frightened her. "I see. I presume you are unaware of any purchases he's made in the past few days, then?"

Panic began to settle deep in her gut. "Cut to the chase, Obi-Wan, and tell me what this is all about."

He sighed. "Go get your nephew, Satine, and I'm sure he'll tell you himself."

Satine wasn't sure what to think. Her first thoughts had been that the Jedi had somehow found out about everything, but that didn't seem to be the case. Siri had said something about a guest, but she couldn't imagine who that would be. And for Obi-Wan to ask about Korkie's finances… she was utterly confused.

Rising, she crossed the dining room and stepped into the hall that led to the bedrooms. Stopping at Korkie's door, she knocked once before opening it, hoping that he was up and dressed. As it turned out, he was, but that wasn't the first thing that caught her attention.

He had dived forward to block her from entering, eyes wide and guilty, but her focus was somewhere else. To be exact, on the skimpily dressed, generously endowed woman curled up sound asleep in his bed.

 _That_ would explain why he'd slept so late.

"Aunt Satine, it's not what it looks like, I promise." Korkie was bright red in the face, copper hair sticking straight up. "She was…"

She groaned, massaging her achy temples. This was not what she had envisioned her morning going like. "We'll talk about this later. For now, there's someone wanting to see you."

His eyes seemed to widen further, and Satine immediately knew he had recognized Obi-Wan's force signature. _Kriff._ The last thing she needed was for him to give away some sign of his force-sensitivity to the Jedi.

He followed her docilely into the dining room, eyes going from the Jedi to her rapidly. Something in Obi-Wan's eyes shifted, but whatever he was thinking didn't show.

"You wanted to see me, Master Jedi?" Like Obi-Wan, Korkie's face was entirely blank, an art they both had that she envied, especially in times like this.

Siri pursed her lips, fishing a small holo out of her pocket. "Where were you last night between 23.00 and 2.00?"

* * *

Obi-Wan watched his expression closely, but no trace of emotion showed on his face. "I was out, meeting someone."

"A woman?" Siri pried.

"No. If you must know, I met an acquaintance of mine, who was visiting here from Corellia." His steady gaze dared them to contradict him. "We went to a bar and had a drink before we parted ways, and I came back here."

Siri frowned, seemingly bewildered, but Obi-Wan wasn't phased by his answer. "Did you see her while you were there?"

"Her?" Blue eyes, the same shade as Satine's, blinked innocently.

"The girl. Amadi."

"Yes." He raised an eyebrow, continuing on as if he had sensed what Obi-Wan was going to ask next. "And no, I didn't speak to or approach her, if that was your next question."

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes, trying to find the fine line between truth and lie. "Not even after you left the bar?"

Korkie hesitated for the first time, eyes searching the his face. Seeming unsatisfied with the results, he nodded. Once. "I did."

"And I assume she's here now?" It was a redundant question, really, seeing as he had sensed her presence the instant he'd walked in.

"What are you really trying to say, Master Kenobi? Korkie picked up a small piece of fruit off of the table, weighing it in his palm absently. "That I should have told my aunt sooner? That I should have gone to the proper authorities and let them handle the matter? That a young, naive person such as myself should not be spending my money on enslaved entertainers? Or perhaps this really isn't about her, and you're simply here to play the good Jedi come to inform his old friend that her nephew is spending his evenings in idle debauchery."

Annoyance flared at the boy's casually stated observation. He'd spoken every one of Obi-Wan's thoughts, and he didn't like it. "How much did you pay for her?"

"Fifteen thousand."

His eyebrows shot up before he could stop them. Even though that was the going price as far as he knew, the very fact that the boy had access to such funds seemed ridiculous.

"And I suppose this friend of yours was the one who sold her to you?" It was the only logical answer, as illogical as this whole situation was.

"Acquaintance, and yes. He was leaving Coruscant, and she seemed uncomfortable with him. So I offered to take her off his hands."

Siri crossed her arms. "You've trampled on a Jedi investigation. Your "acquaintance" is over a human trafficking ring that not only funds the Separatists, but also kidnaps individuals of small royal households, weakening their systems and making them prey to occupation."

Korkie looked between them, seemingly undisturbed by this revelation. "And what does this have to do with me?"

"We had tracked his operation as far as his second in command." Siri turned on the holo and a small image of a twi'lek they'd apprehended the night before appeared.

Immediately, his eyes lit in recognition. "Tula. Purple with a Krayt dragon tattoo." He nodded. "Solo told me she'd be around for the next couple months."

Obi-Wan and Siri exchanged looks. Either the boy had seen her at the bar, or he was further involved in the investigation than they had thought. "We apprehended her, but she didn't know where he was going next, only that he planned to leave early this morning with the girl."

"He's gone back to Corellia for a while, though I don't think that's where he's operating out of. I'm pretty sure that he knew you were on to him, and he wasn't keen on coming back to Coruscant."

"And how would you know this?" Siri challenged, peeved that an outsider knew more of the situation than she did. "What are we supposed to believe, you pulled out a wad of cash and he just told you all of this?"

Korkie shrugged. "I told him I wanted to buy a maid for my mother's birthday and was willing to pay well for it. He proved exceptionally agreeable after that." If Obi-Wan hadn't been watching, he might have missed the brief glance in the direction of his room. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Master Jedi, or will that be all?"

The girl was awake, but there was no possible way that he could know that. Obi-Wan frowned. Was there? "If it's possible, I'd like to speak to the girl for a moment."

The boy's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze probing and guarded. "She's asleep."

It was a straight lie, the only one Obi-Wan was truly certain of. The boy knew she was awake, which seemed impossible, unless they had some sort of hidden surveillance system he didn't know of.

Siri stepped forward, her presence threatening. "You can't lie to a Jedi."

He tensed, and Obi-Wan could feel a thread of anger unfurl. "I'm not…"

"Korkie." Satine's voice was sharp and authoritative, immediately commanding his attention. A silent exchange seemed to pass through their eyes, giving Obi-Wan the distinct impression he was being left out as she spoke. "Apologize."

He mumbled an apology, seeming unrepentant.

Obi-Wan glanced at Satine, trying to read her emotions. She'd been nervous and on edge since they'd arrived, but that was no doubt due to Siri's presence. Obi-Wan hadn't wanted her to come, but the Council had wanted to send someone who the Duchess was familiar with. He'd never confronted her about what had happened between her and Satine, mainly since doing so would doubtless encourage her, which was the last thing he wanted. Quinlan was the only other person who knew what had gone down, and his subsequent late night visit.

The guilt assaulted him afresh as he remembered. He'd left while she'd been asleep, unable to face her after what he'd done. She'd told him she wouldn't ask him, but it hadn't made him feel better about the situation. From the time he was a padawan, he'd never liked the idea of using women for personal pleasure, and that was exactly what he'd done. He'd used her, selfishly, with little to no regard for her feelings on the matter.

The nightmares would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Obi-Wan?"

Siri's voice jerked him out of his thoughts. "Yes?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You're blocking me. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"About?" She sidled closer to him, tucking her arm through his. Seeing him frown, she laughed softly. "It's fine, Satine already knows. She's not going to tell anyone, are you Satine?"

The Duchess didn't reply, looking somewhat pale as she turned away. Blast it all, why did Siri have to be so kriffing competitive?

She stepped closer, and he grappled for an excuse. "Her nephew…"

"You can sense him as well as I can. If he's coming, we'll know it." Her blue eyes-so vastly different from Satine's-searched his face. "You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"

That was a slight understatement.

She pouted. "We're supposed to be partners, Obi-Wan. You can't hide things from your partner."

He shrugged. "I'm not hiding anything."

His denial seemed to uncover a sliver of irritation. "Yeah? So what was that stunt earlier? Why didn't you say that you knew the kid had the girl?"

"I didn't. It was a lucky guess."

Her eyes narrowed. "There's no such thing as luck. You knew he'd taken the girl. That's how you knew to come here to find her, isn't it?"

"Fine. I had a suspicion."

"A suspicion," she repeated, completely unconvinced. "And where did this 'suspicion' come from?"

He glanced at Satine, who was studiously ignoring them, staring down at her egg as if it was evil. "He was there, last night, but he left almost immediately after she did. I didn't suspect anything until this morning when I was going over the hotel footage again and saw the girl."

"And you didn't see fit to tell me this?"

"It slipped my mind." Still a lie, but it was the closest thing to the truth that he dared admit.

She didn't seem completely convinced, but she let it slide. "Anything else you want to tell me about?"

"No."

"Aayla told me you've been pulling all-nighters again."

 _Sithspit_.

She twined her arms around his waist. "You're not having nightmares again, are you? If you want, I'll have Quinan run interference. Now that Anakin's gone all the time, we can finally…"

"Master Kenobi." The boy's voice, cool and unfriendly, made him tense. How had he not sensed him coming? "I thought Jedi weren't allowed promiscuity. Or is it fine as long as everything is kept within ranks?"

"Korkie…"

"Apologies, Aunt." There wasn't a hint of regret in his voice as he led the girl to the table. "I was simply curious. Having heard so much about the famed Jedi, I wanted to see how they live up to the expectations."

Never one to step away from a challenge, Siri sneered at him. "And how do you find us, your Grace?"

He flashed a smile. "Please, call me Korkie. After all, we're all friends here, apparently." At her puzzled look, he chuckled. "You couldn't have possibly thought I couldn't hear every word you said, could you?"

Siri shot Obi-Wan a puzzled look, but he was just as confused as she was. Had the boy really heard them?

" _It's fine, Satine already knows. She isn't going to tell anyone_ ," Korkie mimicked Siri's words from earlier, blue eyes dancing with mischief. "I have to say I expected more from you, Master Kenobi, especially with such glowing references. But time changes people, I suppose. After all, eighteen years is a long time."

"Korkie Kryze." Satine's voice was cold and harsh, and even Siri flinched. "The Jedi are my guests. You will be courteous to them."

"Yes, Aunt." He crossed his arms over his chest, but the sparkle didn't disappear from his eyes. "You wanted to speak with Amadi, Master Jedi?"

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to answer, then snapped it shut again when he noticed the familiar brown robe draped over the girl's shoulders.

 _His_ robe.

Siri seemed to notice it at the same time he did. "Where did you get that?"

The girl blinked in surprise at the harshness is Siri's tone, cowering behind Korkie, who shot her a glare. "What?"

"The robe."

"It was my dad's."

Siri scoffed. "Do you think we're dumb? That's a Jedi robe."

Genuine confusion crossed the boy's face. "No it's not. I've had it since I was a baby. It was the only thing my dad left when he died." He turned to Satine, who looked pale and sick. "Right, Aunt?"

"You must be mistaken, Master Jedi." Her voice was thin and quiet, and she avoided his gaze. "After all, what's to tell one robe from another?"

Was he imagining things? True, he hadn't worn that exact type or robe since he'd been made a Master, but he could have sworn…

"Now, if you could conclude your investigation, my nephew and I have business to attend to."

Siri straightened. "As the interrogation will likely take some time, we'll take the girl to the temple until the investigation is concluded. I apologize for taking so much of your time, Duchess."

"Amadi stays," Korkie retorted.

Satine hesitated for a second. "Is it possible for you to question her here?"

"We can." Ignoring Siri's glare, he continued, "As long as you remain on Coruscant, I'm sure there will be no issue."

The Duchess blanched slightly, but nodded in acquiescence. "May I enquire on how long it will take you to conduct this investigation? I'm afraid I had not planned on an extended visit here."

"Three weeks at most. Just until we can find and apprehend this Solo." A month would be far better, but he had a few favors that he could call in if need be. He could hear Siri's voice through the Force, asking him what he was doing, but he blocked her, not wanting to question himself anymore than he already was.

"Thank you, Master Jedi. Now, if you'll excuse us," Satine stood slowly, her hands clasping together tightly in front of her. "Korkie and I must get ready for the day."

He saw the brief look of panic that crossed the young man's face, and knew that, despite the apparent nonchalant attitude he had been displaying, he was not looking forward to the discussion he and his aunt were undoubtedly about to have.

Remembering the numerous tongue-lashings Satine had given him before, Obi-Wan didn't blame him one bit.

* * *

 **So, it's all out there now, isn't it? As one of my lovely reviewers put it, Satine really is digging a hole for herself, isn't she? But I can't help but feel sorry for her…**

 **Now, I want to put this out there. Since I am writing two books at the same time right now, and I've found it necessary to start a schedule. So, starting now, Being Kenobi will update on or around every first and third Saturday, and Rise, Lord Kenobi every second and fourth Saturday, or alternate weekends, depending on the way the month is set up.**

 **Okay, so I posted this on my Tumblr, but I wanted you guys to hear it as well. So recently I've had some people saying that they don't believe the name fits the story. Honestly, I can agree. The story was originally supposed to go a lot differently, and was named accordingly. However, now that it has changed direction, I'm wondering if I should change the name as well. Comment whether you think it should or shouldn't change, and what a good name for it might be!**

 **Now, for my reviewers:**

 **ry1765 (Ao3): Can I just say reading your review was the highlight of my day? Yes, Korkie subconsciously using the Force is always interesting to right, though I'm not sure how he's going to explain that one to the Jedi…**

 **anesor (Ao3): Thank you so much for your feedback on the title! It's always really difficult for me to accurately reflect my stories in the title, and I struggled on this one for a long time before settling. But I'm always open to improvement!**

 **NikyNox (Ao3): Yeah, I think Korkie inherits his dad's tendency to make rash decisions. I'm sure he's working on that though.**

 **.L (FF): Well, that robe is a rather large source of contention, isn't it? Seems like everyone's interested in it. I wonder why?**

 **AlexaHiwatari98 (Ao3): I always love it when my readers suggest scenes! That is a brilliant idea, and maybe we'll see something like that in the next chapter, hmm? And yes, Obi is definitely in denial. He's not going to be able to be like that for long, though.**

 **DogsAreTheBest312 (Ao3): Well, Obi-Wan obviously thought it was his, but how can that be? *shrugs* Right now, I think he's just in a bit of shock, but we'll see more of his (and others) thoughts in the next chapter.**

 **Thank you all for reviewing, and hopefully I'll see you in a couple weeks!**

 **Next: Questionings of Sorts. Korkie, Amadi, and Obi-Wan are all put in the hot seat.**


	5. Chapter Four: Questionings of Sorts

Korkie followed his aunt into her quarters glumly, already dreading the talk that was certain to take place. Even though she appeared calm, he could feel muted anger seeping out around the edges, like a pot of boiling water beginning to crack. There was also something else there, something that felt like sadness, regret.

Disappointment.

And the strange thing was, only half of it was directed towards him.

"Sit." Her hands, slender but strong, motioned to her massive four-poster bed that dominated the large space. It was always interesting, how her hands remained so firmly fixed in his mind. Since forever, they'd been there, in different measures.

Soft and gentle as she cradled him as a baby. Firm and steady as she helped him take his first steps. Light and delicate as she played his favorite song on the ancient harp. Cool and comforting as she held him through the fever. All the same hands, even as they performed in hundreds of ways.

They never changed. Fine lines had etched around her eyes and her figure was a little older, but her hands were the same. Pale and refined, with the same small, birthmark just above the second knuckle on her left ring finger, identical to his. No doubt a family trait.

They smoothed her skirt now as she sat opposite him before settling just below her abdomen. "I knew I never should have brought you here."

He hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Aunt Satine."

"Are you really?" Her voice was quiet, so quiet that he wondered if she even expected him to answer. "Are you honestly sorry for what you did, or that you've been found out? Or are you just sorry that I don't approve of your little escapades?"

If he was honest, it was mainly the last one, but he had a suspicion that she wouldn't appreciate that answer. "I'm sorry for not telling you everything immediately. It wasn't right, neither was it fair."

She made a noise that hinted that she didn't believe him. "I'm sure. What the hell were you thinking, getting mixed up in a Jedi investigation?"

"I didn't know they were looking for her, I swear it. But I couldn't leave her there, with him. He treated her as if she was some cheap possession, a…"

Her eyebrow raised. "Slave? Perhaps because that is exactly what she is?"

"She's a human, and no one should…"

His aunt held up her hand to stop him. "We're not here to talk about the morality of slavery. You know that I'm proud of you for standing up for what's right, but…" She seemed conflicted, and he could sense the frustration radiating off of her as she rose abruptly and walked to the transparisteel wall that bordered one side of her room. "Fifteen thousand pounds? For a prostitute?"

"Dancer," he inserted meekly, cringing.

"Prostitute, dancer, stripper, entertainer… different names for the same job." The Duchess crossed her arms over her chest. "Whatever possessed you to buy a slave for the price of a small ship? Have you no regard for your upbringing?"

He felt himself wilting into the mattress, suddenly feeling like a child again. "He was going to take her away…"

"...as was his right." Seeing him wince, her eyes softened a bit. "I'm sorry, it's just… I love you, and I don't want anything to happen to you. What if this slaver hadn't had the same regard for life as you do?He could have injured you, or worse." Tears gathered in her eyes, and she sniffed. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

Damn it, he'd made her cry. Korkie _hated_ it when she cried. "It won't happen again."

Even through tears, Satine's glare was frightening to behold. "Is there something else you'd like to tell me?"

"N… no. I was just… just saying…" he stuttered, honestly frightened. "There's nothing else. Nothing at all."

"So help me, Korkie, if there's another girl…"

"No!" The word came out too quickly, too emphatically, and he flushed. "There's no one else."

She watched him for a moment, and he could tell she was trying to gauge his emotions. He stared back at her, unguarded and unashamed. Finally, she nodded. "I see. And what exactly do you plan to do with… what's her name?"

"Amadi." He contemplated the question for only a moment. "I have enough money in my savings to get her accomodations for a few months. Since I'll be beginning my official government training at the end of the year, I suppose I'll let her choose what she wants to do after that."

Her eyebrows raised. "That's it?"

He shrugged. "What else can I say? I want to give her a chance to decide her own path. Whatever it may be, I plan to support her in it. The last thing I want is for her to feel like she's still a slave."

For the first time that day, his aunt smiled. "Gods, you're so much like your father. He would have been so proud of the man you've become." The barest of sheens lit her eyes, and he got the sudden feeling that she was going to cry. "I'm proud of you, Korkie, more than you know."

Kriff. He hated it when people got all dewy-eyed over him. "Thank you, Aunt Satine."

She sniffled a little, but managed to keep her composure. "I am sorry that I haven't been available to you. There were… issues… that occured, and I didn't want them to have a negative affect. Later, I came to regret the radicality of my decision, but I felt like it was too late." She bit her lip, but didn't look away. "Sending you away was not the right decision, but completely ignoring you… that was inexcusable, and I truly am sorry that you had to grow up with strangers, when I was barely a speeder ride away."

Somehow, he'd not only avoided her wrath, but he'd made her feel guilty. It hadn't been intentional, and it nearly hurt to feel how sincere-how sad-she was. "I never blamed you. How could I? You were the closest thing I had to a mother, and you're not someone who makes a decision without a reason. I was upset, but I always knew that you must have had a reason for sending me away."

Contrary to his expectations, that did not seem to make her feel better. "You never should have had to justify my behavior. I never expected you to. I don't expect you to, even now. I make mistakes, both blindly and knowingly, but that does not give me leave to turn my back on it."

Why did he get the feeling they weren't talking about just him anymore?

"I have something I need to tell you." She looked a bit sick when she said it, but she didn't lose her composure. "I…"

Her comm beeped suddenly, startling them both. She glanced at the name and hesitated before reaching for the reject button. "I can call him back."

"No, don't. We can talk later." He was curious, but also knew that very few people called the Duchess for a casual chat. "I'll just… go get ready. You said we're going somewhere?"

"Lunch with the Senator Amidala." She looked a bit relieved as she stood and smoothed out her skirts. "Thank you, Korkie."

He nearly replied, but stopped when he heard her greeting one of Mandalore's education executives.

She was a busy woman. Whatever it was that she had wanted to tell him, it could wait.

* * *

The boy had good taste, Obi-Wan would give him that.

By all appearances, Amadi was a decent girl. Quiet and reserved-honestly, what else could one expect-but ready to answer the questions put to her. Apparently, she'd been a slave for as long as she could remember, but hadn't come under Solo's supervision until a few years earlier, just before the Clone Wars had begun. What had been surprising was the fact that she was relatively new to the entertainment scene, though she wouldn't tell him what had been her duties before that.

Obi-Wan wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know.

"Did he treat you well?"

As she had for the whole conversation, she kept her eyes fixed on her lap and nodded. "He always fed us well," she said softly, her fingers smoothing over her robe- _his_ robe-as close to fiddling as he supposed she got. "He only beat us when we had to leave a place, or when someone asked too many questions."

Siri released a soft sigh, signalling that she was tired of being left out of the conversation. In the beginning, they hadn't anticipated that the girl may not speak Basic-which she did, but only poorly-so there hadn't been any viable reasons for Siri not to come. But very early in the conversation, he'd decided to switch to Durese, which she appeared to be fluent in. It also happened to be one of the many languages Siri was _not_ fluent in.

"One more question, and we'll be done," he said, as much to Siri as the girl.

"Finally," Siri breathed, rising. "I'm going to run to the fresher."

He ignored her. His final question had the potential to be more useful than the rest of the conversation. "Did you ever meet your master?"

* * *

Obi-Wan stifled a yawn as he left the council chambers, ready to go to his room and get some rest. The past few days had been draining, and he felt as if he might finally be able to sleep.

He'd brought the council up to speed on the mission, leaving them to mull on the supply of new evidence. Amadi hadn't been particularly forthcoming on the subject of her master, but he had gotten the sense that it was more out of fear than particular stubbornness. No doubt he would have to speak with her several more times, but at least they had made definite progress.

Now if he could only find a way to take someone else-anyone else-other than Siri with him to the next meeting. Even though he had no way of being for sure, he was almost sure she'd said something to Satine before they'd left. He hadn't thought anything amiss when she'd excused herself to go to the fresher, but after she'd come out nearly a half hour later with a satisfied look and Satine had never reappeared, he'd begun to suspect that something had happened.

But what was he to do? He couldn't well confront her without rumours being spread throughout the temple, something that he couldn't afford at a time when the Council seemed to be scrutinizing his every move. Satine's appearance at his funeral had raised more than a few eyebrows, and it was doubtless that everyone would jump on any testimony Siri might give.

He didn't dare apologize to Satine. She already knew all there was to know about what had transpired between he and Siri, and he knew that she'd likely not want to rehash it again. Not to mention he already felt guilty enough for what had happened between them.

So, he would hope that some other lead to Solo would arise and the council would find Siri's skills necessary elsewhere.

Running a hand through his hair exhaustedly, he palmed open the door to his quarters and stepped in, happy to finally be alone.

Only to find himself immediately surrounded by more Jedi.

Quinlan, Aayla, Kit, Anakin, Siri, and Ahsoka were all lounging across his living quarters, engaged in various stages of repose and reclination. The padawan-and-a-half noticed him first, though it was the half that got to her feet first. "Master! Are you okay?"

"Ye...es?" he frowned. "Should I not be?"

Anakin joined Ahsoka now, worry filling his eyes even as he forced a smile. "Can I get you anything, Master? Tea? Caff? Aayla smuggled in some ginger biscuits, if you'd care for one."

What in the blazes… "er, yes, I'll have a tea." Six pairs of worry filled eyes were turned toward him, and he was at a loss why. "Did something happen that I should be aware about?" Surely Satine couldn't have managed to get in some scrape so quickly.

Aayla sighed, exchanging glances with her former master. "Please, Obi-Wan, sit."

He obliged her, though reluctantly, accepting the cup of tea Anakin brought him solemnly. "What's all this about?"

"We're worried about you, Master," Ahsoka said softly, as if afraid that he was going to bolt if she spoke to loudly. "You haven't been yourself lately. Not to be rude, but you've been a bit… cross."

He looked at all of them, surprised to find them all seemingly completely serious. Even Anakin made no joking comment as he was apt to do in a serious situation.

Setting his tea on the table, Obi-Wan offered what he hoped to be a reassuring smile. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you. Just a bit tired."

Not even a fleeting flash of relief. Siri perched on the edge of his chair, wrapping her arms around his shoulders confidingly. "You're going to work yourself to death if you keep this up. Let me-us-take care of you."

He wanted to shrug out of her embrace, but couldn't find the energy in himself to move. He _was_ _tired_ , more so than he dared let on.

Siri began to nuzzle the back of his neck, and he flinched away. Even in the sordid state his conscience had sunken to, finding any form of pleasure with Siri was not something he was willing, or even wanted to do. She pulled back, and he could sense the hurt radiating off of her.

Oh well. She would have to get over it.

Quinlan stood. "Come on, let's give the guy some air to breathe. He can't very well rest if we're all looming over him, can he?"

The others grudgingly rose as well, all continuing to give him skeptical and worried did his best to appear in good spirits, despite the fact that he was feeling quite the opposite.

"Rest well, Kenobi. I'm sure the council won't grudge you a couple hours of sleep." Kit smiled, patting him amicably on the shoulder. "If you ever need someone to talk to about anything, don't hesitate to drop by."

"The same goes for me, Obi-Wan." Aayla hugged him gently, almost cautiously. Blast it, did everyone think he was on the verge of a mental breakdown?

Even Anakin was maintaining the guise of a properly concerned former-padawan. No doubt the boy was eager to visit the Senator Amidala-he'd heard that the Senate had declared recess for the rest of the evening-yet, here he was, dutifully doing his part to uphold his position in Obi-Wan's-mental-health support group.

A bloody nuisance was what it was.

Ahsoka and Siri both gave him more of the same delicate embraces that spoke of a silent fear that he was going over the deep end. Finally, it was only him and Quinlan, who had poured himself a mug of caff and was watching him with an unreadable expression. But it wasn't until the door closed and Obi-Wan sank into his chair that he spoke.

"It's the Duchess, isn't it?" When Obi-Wan didn't reply, he chuckled softly. "I can't believe I didn't see it before now. Well, if it isn't little Oafy, thwarted in matters of the heart."

Obi-Wan glared up at him balefully. "What makes you think that?"

The Kiffar shrugged, sitting down across from him and sipping on his caff as if it was the finest brew and not the sludge provided by his Excellency's Grand Army of the Republic. "What else could it be? As far as I can see it, this whole mood thing started right after some newly resurrected Jedi disappeared for a whole night after going to make his apologies to Her Grace. Not to mention Siri's been hanging off of you like a leech, which she only does when there is doubt about the loyalties of your non-existent affection."

When put in those terms, it was hard to deny it. He stared down at the tea in his hands, suddenly wishing it was something stronger. A whiskey, or even a mug of the foul and inherently strong Corellian brandy that Anakin kept.

As if by magic, a decanter of the former appeared on the table in front of him, accompanied by a pair of glasses already half filled with the stuff. It was warm from being out, but that hardly deterred him from consuming the entire glass in one go. "I slept with her."

To his credit, Quinlan didn't make any lewd insinuations or bawdy jokes, as he was wont to do in past times. "Was her Grace in possession of such unreasonable desires as ladies of a romantic nature tend to inconveniently get when engaging in a brief but passionate tryst?"

"Very eloquent of you, Vos, but also incorrect to the extreme." He contemplated refilling the glass briefly, but decided against it. "Her Grace made it clear to me, that despite any personal feelings on the matter, she would never ask such a thing of me and wouldn't want me to do such a thing for her."

"You know, Kenobi, there's men across the galaxy-some of them Jedi-who long for what you have." Quinlan sat across from him, downing his whiskey and pouring them both another with the Force. "I mean, think about it. You're having a passionate and illicit affair with a attractive, intelligent, rich woman who-correct me if I'm wrong-will continue with said affair as long as you don't give up anything to be with her, and you're complaining?"

Of course Quinlan wouldn't understand. "I don't… Satine's different, Quinlan. I… I care for her, and I don't… I don't want to mess this up. I don't want just have a quick lay, not with her. But I can't give her the life she deserves."

Quinlan stared at him with wide eyes. "Stang, Kenobi, she's got you whipped _good_. I've got to meet this woman."

"I have to go back there in the morning. You're welcome to come." He would likely regret the invitation tomorrow, but he would deal with that then. "As it is, even you'll be better to take than Siri."

"Well, thank you, Kenobi, for that vote of confidence." Downing his second glass of whiskey, Quinlan eyed the one he'd set in front of Obi-Wan. "Speaking of Siri, though, did you ever find out if she said something that time?"

It was a conscious decision not to pick up the whiskey, as tempting as it was. "Satine wouldn't tell me what she said, but she asked about the status of our relationship, which leaves little doubt, if there was any in the first place." He scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling more exhausted by the second. "Today… I didn't know what to do with her. She has to know more about Satine than she lets on. Siri isn't a mean person…"

"...until she's jealous," Quinlan finished for him. "Let me guess, there was a good deal of hugging and covert conversations. Same as when she thought you had a thing for Shaak back before you went to Mandalore."

The memory made him smile. "She did, didn't she? How did I ever convince her otherwise, that time?"

Quinlan raised his eyebrows. "You went to Mandalore and every other word in your comm calls were either the Duchess or that girl, depending on the occasion."

"Oh. I suppose that wouldn't help me now, especially with all the suspicion the council has placed on me after Satine came to my funeral. They're especially not pleased that she's taken in the girl, and even less so that I'm likely the only one who would be welcome in that ladie's abode."

"How did that work out, anyway? Siri told us that the girl was there, but not exactly how that came to be."

Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest and sat back in his seat. "You remember the boy?"

"The nephew?"

He nodded. "He bailed her out. Fifteen."

"Fifteen hundred?"

"Fifteen thousand."

Quinlan choked on his caff. "Fifteen grand? What kid has that sort of cash?"

"The ducal heir, I suppose. And considering that our twi'lek friend was squealing about Solo going to pick up the girl, I wouldn't doubt that wasn't the only thing he gave him."

"Solo?"

"The slaver." He tossed him the datapad with all the information Korkie had given them. "Somehow, our young friend not only bought himself a private entertainer, but also managed to get the man's name and address, not to mention contact information."

His friend whistled long and low as he scrolled through the information. "Maybe we should reconsider our interrogation tactics. Is this how pacifists operate? Just pay off everyone? Because it certainly seems easier than chasing down mercenaries at the end of a lightsaber."

"Maybe that's why we always seem to be on the losing side of the war. According to some of our esteemed senators, the Republic is bleeding money at an alarming rate."

The kiffar snorted. "I don't see how. It's not like they're paying us bantha poodoo."

"Have they ever?"

"True." With a sigh, Quinlan rose. "Well, I'm going to leave you to get your sleep, old man. You going to drink that?"

He shook his head, getting to his feet as well. "No, you're welcome to it. Force knows I don't need any more."

Grinning, his friend downed the glass in one swallow. "As my rule goes, never turn down free alcohol. See you in the morning, Obi-Wan."

He yawned, gathering the empty glasses and mugs with the Force and setting them in the sink. "Good night, Quinlan."

"Get some sleep," Quinlan called from the door. "We can't have you keeling over in front of Her Grace, can we?"

Obi-Wan would have replied, but the door had already slid shut behind his friend, leaving him alone. Exhausted, he slowly made his way to his room, doubtlessly to sleep and dream of the Duchess.

* * *

 **Ah, dear Quinlan. He's fast becoming one of my favorite characters in this fic. Originally, I had planned to let Anakin take the best friend/confidante position, but I didn't want to complicate his character too much. Besides, with Quinlan I get a bit more of creative liberties, no?**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry there wasn't a lot of Amadi in it, but I didn't want to ruin her character by giving out too much too fast, and especially not to Obi-Wan. Not to mention I have plans for her that require a bit of mystery to surround her background, for a little while yet.**

 **Thank you to all of you who left kudos, follows, favorites, bookmarks, or subscriptions! You guys truly are awesome.**

 **AlexaHiwatari98 (Ao3): Your review made me laugh when I read it, it was hilarious! You might be picking up on something about the Force trying to tell them something. The real question is whether or not they listen, isn't it? As to whether or not Anakin's going to notice something, we'll see that in a bit.**

 **Rachaelizame (Ao3): Thank you so much! Her Grace has a bit more to go before she can even begin to get out of the muck.**

 **Jxjxjx (Ao3): Ah yes, the reveal will be so much fun. But how much will be revealed and how much discovered?**

 **.L (FF): I actually hadn't thought about using Mara as their daughter in this one. (Spoilers maybe?) Thank you so much for your review, and we'll see you next week!**

 **Poggle the Lesser (FF prologue): It's really sad how many people have forsaken the Clone Wars. I hope you continue to enjoy this!**

 **alive by grace (FF): Who knows? We might see a young Han towards the end, though how they're related is still to be shown. To clear up your second question: no, Korkie did not sleep with Amadi. The next chapter will give a bit more backstory into what exactly happened that night (it didn't make it into this chapter because it is so long).**

 **ry1765 (Ao3): I hope you enjoyed the chapter. At least it seems like Satine wants to try now, even if stupid executives have to call in the middle of important conversations.**

 **Poggle the Lesser (FF chapter two): Well, you can't properly look like a smuggler without a little bit of grease, can you?**

 **NikyNox (Ao3): I love it when my readers are so enthusiastic! Thank you!**

 **Guest22 (Ao3): Thank you so much, and I hope you continue to enjoy!**

 **Allthepesy (Tumblr): Thank you so much for reviewing, despite not having an account. You can also leave a guest review on Fanfiction, whose link is below the Ao3 link. But wow! I agree, Satine really needs to rectify her past mistakes and not make the same one's again, and I think she's beginning to agree with you. Even though I understand her reasoning (I wrote her, after all) trying to do the same thing she did with Korkie would be a mistake.**

 **Thank you, for all the reviews! You guys really inspire me everyday!**

 **Remember, I'm now taking prompts for baby Korkie drabbles and one shots. You can leave them down below as a comment or go to my Tumblr (lilywankenobi) and leave a submission.**

 **Next: Dusk till Dawn. Satine meets Amadi and Quinlan, and secrets are revealed.**


	6. Chapter Five: Dusk till Dawn

The girl was sweet, she had to admit.

Satine hid a smile as she watched Korkie tried to coax the girl to eat her dinner. They'd spent the evening getting the girl fitted for new garments and collecting other necessities, and were now back at the apartment eating dinner.

Well, eating was a bit of a stretch. She was pushing her meager portions around her plate to hide the embarrassingly small amount that she'd actually consumed, and Korkie was too busy trying to convince the girl that it was okay for her to eat to swallow more than a few bites himself.

It was endearing to watch them together. Korkie truly cared for the girl, that much was clear to see. With an attentiveness that did him credit, he'd been careful to assure her of her freedom while taking the fact that she was used to being a slave into account. Apparently, he'd done some studying earlier that morning, and had read about former slaves going wild once they realized they were free. His plan, as he'd explained to her, was to slowly help her adjust to freedom by offering her small choices on mundane things. What color robes she wanted, which scent perfume she wanted, what restaurant she wanted to eat at, etc. Little either-or questions of small consequence that would give her a chance to explore her will.

And if Korkie seemed to care for her, Amadi was enamored by him. Doubtlessly some of it was because she thought of him as her Master, but there was always seemed to be an element of unabashed fascination in her eyes whenever she looked at him, as if he was some sort of God.

It reminded her of how a certain young Jedi she knew looked at a certain Senator. Maybe it was the look of a slave to their liberator? Or was it the look of someone quickly losing their heart?

If Korkie was anything like his father-he was, overwhelmingly-she couldn't blame the girl. Perhaps it was the mother in her talking, but she couldn't blame anyone for thinking highly of her son. She was proud of him, she wouldn't lie about it. She'd thought of him as something that needed to be protected, and here he was taking the role of the protector.

Yes, she was proud of him.

After another ten minutes of fruitless picking at her dinner, Satine pushed her plate away. Korkie had already finished his several minutes ago-one minute, the food had been there, the next, gone-and Amadi had eaten a decent portion of hers. When she saw that Satine had stopped, however, she rose and took all of their plates to the small kitchen, immediately setting to washing them.

Korkie watched the girl in amusement for a moment before getting up to join her. Despite her small sounds of protest, he gently took the dishes from her and put them in the dishwasher. Seeming a bit miffed, the girl immediately took up a towel and began wiping down the countertops and table.

Before he could stop her, Satine stood and motioned him over. "Let her clean up if she wants to. Come, I need your help with something." Seeing his hesitation, she gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be brief."

Seeming a bit appeased, he followed her into the living area. Not quite out of sight, but just far enough that the girl wouldn't be able to hear them.

Now that she was here, what was she going to say? "I told you that Obi-Wan-Master Kenobi-and I once pursued a relationship." There, that was a decent beginning. If she felt really brave, she could probably tell him that he was her son as well. "What I didn't tell you was… A couple months ago, I came here for his funeral. A few days before I left, he came to inform me that he was not, in fact, dead."

Even without the Force, she could tell that the subject wasn't one that he wanted to talk about. "And I suppose he brought his girlfriend with him to gloat over you?"

How was she to know he would be so protective? "He didn't ask her to. Somehow, she'd found out that we'd been close before and took it upon herself to let me know that I had lost my grip on him." It didn't occur to her until just then that Siri probably had known Obi-Wan was alive from the beginning. Why else would she want to make the ex-lover of her deceased flame jealous? "Later that night, he came back alone, I assume to apologize for her behavior." She paused, suddenly at a loss for words.

It didn't matter, for judging by the growing scowl on Korkie's face, he knew exactly what she was going to say. "Kriffing bastard."

She was mildly surprised at his language, but didn't remark on it. After all, hadn't she said worse before? "I asked him to stay."

"He _forced_ you." The agitation was clear in his tone. "Do you even know what Jedi do? They make people believe ideas they think are their own."

"And you don't?" She'd known he hadn't been comfortable in the Jedi's presence, but this was a whole new dynamic. "I assume that the slaver just told you all about his business?"

He paused, and the conflict was clear in his eyes. "That's different. Anyone could have known that, but…"

"No they couldn't." It took tremendous effort not to shout, but she knew that it wasn't his fault, that the lie had been created by no one other than herself. "You are different, Korkie, you can do things that others can't. You're father was the same way. You have intuitions that can be frightening in their accuracy. You have the power to know things, to do things that others can't."

His eyes dimmed, and she could see him beginning to close off to her. "You lied to me."

The betrayal in his eyes hurt, even if it was justified. "I didn't know what to do. People _hated_ your father for his gifts, and I didn't… I couldn't watch you grow up with the same stigma."

He made a soft sound of derision, rising. "Do you think I'm stupid? Dortri Kryze wasn't the one people hated. It was you. That's why you lied. You lied because you were jealous. Jealous of the fact that people wanted him to be _Manda'lor_ so bad that they were willing to kill you for it. When he died, you probably didn't even care, did you? You knew you'd won, that Mandalore would be yours. Too late, you realized there was something wrong, because you'd missed something in your plans. Me." Tears glistened in his eyes, and she could _feel_ the years of pent-up anger, fear, and agony rolling off of him in suffocating waves. She wanted to interject, to soothe the aching hurt that had been no doubt a long time coming, but she restrained herself, letting him speak, lest she cause even more damage.

Korkie was pacing now, hair spiked up from where he'd run his hands through it in perturbation. "You thought you could control me, use me to win the hearts of the public, didn't you? But you made another mistake; you realized that I was too much like my father, so you had to get rid of me. That's the real reason why you sent me away, because you knew you couldn't control me. Because you were _afraid_. And you still are. You _know_ that I'm more powerful than you, and now that you're on shaky ground again, you want to use me again. Well, you can just go kriff your Jedi and hope that he'll help you, because I'm not going to be your slave."

She was being torn apart. She'd been shot, beaten, and burned before, and nothing had been as painful as this. But even as much pain she was in, she knew that it couldn't come anywhere close to what Korkie was feeling. She'd chosen her path. He'd been given no choice.

What had she done?

Tears were rolling freely down her cheeks, but she couldn't bring herself to wipe them away. She didn't deserve to. This was her _son_ , and she'd hurt him in a way that she wouldn't wish on anyone. Not death watch, not the Republic, not even Palpatine.

Okay, maybe Palpatine, but that was beside the point.

"It's true isn't it?" All the anger had left his voice, and there was only despair, disappointment, a sorrow so crushing it seemed to press him down. "It's all true."

"No." There was a fierceness in her tone that surprised her, but she clung to it. "Gods, Korkie, I never wanted to hurt you. Somehow, in my ignorance, my pride, I thought I was protecting you. Force knows if I could go back and change everything, I would, but I _can't_. Believe me when I say I've tried."

He snorted. "Why should I believe you? All you've ever done is lie to me. How do I even know that all this isn't just another hoax? You always say things, but where's the proof? Where are any of my files? Medical records, DNA proof, birth certificate… If you have them, why can't I see them? I don't know anything about who I am. For all I know, I may not even be your nephew, or…"

Kriff it all to hell. "Do you really want to know? No, you are not my brother's son. No, you are not my nephew. No, your mother wasn't some anonymous person that abandoned you on my doorstep. You are my _son_ , and more than that, I love you." She couldn't even see through her tears now, but she couldn't stop. "Yes, I lied, to you and to everyone else, and yes, I was afraid. But know this right now, everything I ever said about your father was true. You are just like him, so much so that it hurts to know that he never knew you existed, never got to see you grow up, never knew how proud he would be of you if he saw you now. It hurt me that I couldn't tell you how proud of you I was. It hurt me every day that you were gone, and it hurts _so kriffing bad_ to know that I have irreparably hurt you."

It wasn't until he wrapped his arms around her did she realize that he was beside her. Somehow, knowing that he knew everything and still was here beside her broke whatever resistance was left in her, and she felt herself crumble into a heap of sorrow.

She didn't know how long she sat there and cried in his arms. It could have been a matter of minutes, or it could have been hours. It could have been days for all she cared. Every word, every tear had felt like a boulder being lifted off of her back. Even amidst the anguish she felt, there was a hint of lightness in her heart, something that hadn't been there in years.

* * *

She was his mother.

Korkie sank back down onto the couch, unsure if he wanted to laugh or cry. It was a relief to know that his fears were unfounded, but this… this was so far removed from everything that he'd ever known.

For seventeen years, he'd been living a lie. How could he not have known?

But the thing was, he had, all along. No matter what title he'd called her, deep down, he'd always thought of her as his mother. He'd even called her mom by accident a few times. Before his sixth birthday, she'd treated him as if he was her son, and he'd fantasized about a day that she'd adopt him and make it official.

He wanted to be angry, to hate her for lying to him for so many years, but he couldn't. What would it have changed if he had known, anyway?

But there was another question that he had now. If she was his mother, and Dortri Kryze was _not_ his father, who was? Already, he had an inkling of suspicion, but it was so absurd, so strange that he didn't even want to consider it.

But it made so much sense.

His father was Obi-Wan Kenobi. What other answer could there be?He would have been on Mandalore at the time he was conceived, and his aunt _had_ admitted to having relations with him. Not to mention he'd been mistaken as the Jedi's son thrice in the matter of a day.

Wait. If he was the son of a Jedi… did that inadvertently make him a Jedi of sorts? The thought was both horrifying and intriguing. He'd been fascinated with Jedi as a child, and to know that there was a very real possibility that he was one of them…

His mind raced as he tried to recall everything he had ever read and heard about them. They had special powers-was that was his aunt had meant when she'd said he'd inherited his senses from his father?-but he'd never really been able to find out what they were. The thing was, it had been hard to find anything written about the Jedi that wasn't biased in the Mandalorian libraries. He knew they were prime fighters, and could use their powers to persuade beings to participate in their will, but that was nearly it.

Oh, and they had the best ships.

That brought him up short. A starfighter. Was it truly possible that he could fly one? Any time he'd asked his flight instructor about it, she'd insisted that only Jedi were able to fly their ships, which were made and modified to the particular use of them. Only the most seasoned and steady-handed pilots could possibly fly the crafts.

Unless, of course, they were Jedi.

He'd need training, of course. The Jedi were infamous for their extensive training. It wasn't as if he could just go up to the Jedi temple and ask for training, at least not without being suspicious. So that left only one option: to watch and learn. Once he saw it, then he could surely learn to mimic it, right?

Korkie flopped back on the couch, pleased with his reasoning. The Jedi-his father-would be coming back in the morning, no doubt. Even though it would be risky, perhaps he could garner an invitation to the Jedi temple to see what exact training Jedi did.

Now that was an idea.

The Jedi had wanted to investigate Amadi in their own quarters. Maybe if his aunt-mother-was indisposed one day, he would be forced to escort her there. Subtlety was the key, but with the proper amount of grudgefulness and muted disdain, he could probably pull it off.

That night, Korkie's dreams were full of Jedi starfighters and lightsabers.

* * *

Obi-Wan was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea.

This whole thing felt like a disaster. First Siri, and now Quinlan. Who knew what the Kiffar would say? The man had no filter, and knew far too much about him, both past and present. If he'd found it necessary to apprise the boy of the full history betweeen Obi-Wan and his aunt, who knew what he would say when he met said aunt himself.

"Your Grace, may I say that my poor friend has not done your beauty justice?"

Well, that, he supposed.

Satine blushed a little, something she'd _never_ done with _him_. Blast Quinlan for being the charming bastard he was. "Master Vos, I presume. I see that you are as well acquainted with my name as I am with yours. Though it seems that you might have been more accurately described than I have been."

Quinlan winked, dropping a kiss on her proffered hand. "The report was accurate, but your beauty could hardly be captured by mere words."

"That's enough," he hissed through clenched teeth, hating the way Satine's eyes sparkled. "Is the girl awake?"

"She is, though I don't believe she's ready yet. Can I offer you anything while you wait? Tea? Caff?" She raised an eyebrow at Quinlan. "Spirits?"

The kiffar grinned broadly. "My reputation proceeds me, but no thank you. I will take some caff, though."

"Tea, thank you." The last thing he needed was alcohol. He'd been consuming far too much of the foul stuff of late, as it was.

Korkie strode into the room, nodding hello before kissing Satine affectionately on the cheek. "Master Jedi. Aunt. Is the tea for me?"

"It's for Master Kenobi, but you're welcome to make some of your own." Taking down two dainty cups and filling them with the steaming beverages, she offered them an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid I don't have any mugs. Cream or sugar?"

He was about to object when she dropped a single cube of sugar in his, just as he'd always drunk it.

Quinlan drowned a snicker in his caff, coughing a bit when the scalding liquid hit his mouth. "Hell, that's hot."

Satine hummed softly, offering him a napkin. "Is Master Tachi not well?"

"She's fine." He didn't want to talk about Siri. Honestly, he'd put her name out for every mission that had come through the council that morning, but not either they'd seen through his schemes or they thought they were doing him a favor by leaving her on his team.

"I expected her to be here this morning." There was a hint of a challenge in her tone that let him know she wasn't going to let the topic go.

Blasted women.

Thankfully, Quinlan stepped in. "We decided I would be a better choice since Siri doesn't speak Durese. I hope that won't be a problem."

She smiled. "No problem. I simply was concerned after she assured me she would be here."

So Siri _had_ talked to her. Bloody hell. "I'll be sure to tell her of your concern." Just after he sensed her, Amadi appeared in the doorway, eyes still a bit bleary from sleep. "Good morning, young one."

She dropped a small curtsy, stifling a yawn. Almost immediately, Korkie was at her side, handing her a cup of tea and murmuring something in her ear. The boy was utterly infatuated, even if he didn't know it yet, and the girl seemed equally besotted with her young savior. Much like how Anakin looked at Padmé, and vise versa. Perhaps it was a slave-savior sort of thing. Who knew?

Swallowing the rest of his tea, he rose. "I don't want to keep you from your day. Shall we get on with it?"

* * *

 **I'm soooooo sorry that this took so long to get out, guys! My great-grandmother passed last week, and the funeral was thirteen hours away. Once I got home it was a choice of completing schoolwork or this chapter, and the former was threatening to lighten me of my prospective degree, so it won out.**

 **Thank you all for your patience, my strictly Ao3 and Fanfiction readers more than anyone else. I did put up a notice on Saturday on my Tumblr signalling a late update (which I'm one day late for as well), so make sure to check it out for any authors notes in the future1**

 **Also, sorry that we didn't get a lot of Quinlan or the baby reveal, this chapter really got away from me… But don't worry! It will all happen, in good time. Hehehehehe…**

 **Now for all my dear reviewers:**

 **Jxjxjx (Ao3): I hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek, then!**

 **AlexaHiwatari98 (Ao3): I love replying to my readers, especially when they leave such long and detailed reviews! We will see a bit into Anakin's thoughts on all of this later on. As you can see, Korkie already is beginning to think a little bit differently about Obi now that he knows a bit more. I'm pretty sure everyone hates Siri (heck, I do too!) almost as much as they love Quinlan. I was really sad that I couldn't get more of him in this chapter, but deadlines… There will definitely be more father/son time to come, and Padmé will finally be making an appearance, so we'll get her take on things. We would have seen her in the last chapter, but I didn't really feel that the timing was right. Hopefully we'll see her soon!**

 **barelypassing4sane (FF): I hope this chapter didn't let you down! There were definitely some mysteries unfolded, even if they weren't the ones expected. And I get the feeling that Satine's still got a few more apologies to go…**

 **NikyNox (Ao3): I'm glad you're looking forward to Quinlan. Don't worry, there'll be more of him in the next chapter!**

 **DogsAreTheBest312 (Ao3): You want to know a secret? I too know Quinlan mainly from that episode. I hope no one can tell… But as to your second question, yes. Anakin and Ahsoka will both have their parts to play, though *spoiler* the former will be seen moreso from his view as Padmé's lover instead of Obi-Wan's friend.**

 **ry1765 (Ao3): Everyone loves Quinlan, lol. I hope you enjoyed!**

 **hshh (Ao3): OMG, thank you so much! You're comment really made my day!**

 **allthepesy (Tumblr): I know, I know, we didn't get the baby announcement yet, though I'm looking forward to it as much as any of you guys. But we did see another announcement come through, which may be considered even more important. Don't worry, we will see big brother Korkie soon. (He is such a sweetheart, isn't he?) For some reason, I believe Korkie's seeing a few similarities as well… I wonder how he's going to act on them? It didn't make it into this chapter, but we'll also see a little bit more about Siri and Quinlan next week, so stay tuned! Thank you so much for reviewing, I really enjoy seeing your thoughts!**

 **Guest (FF): Thank you so much! I hope this made you happy!**

 **Anonim (Ao3): I know, I know, and I'm so sorry! I hope this chapter makes up for my lateness. I actually received your review when I was just putting the finishing touches on this chapter, and I was so happy to know that there are actually dedicated readers who will keep me up to snuff. Btw, your English is fine!**

 _ **Reminder**_ **: Son of Kenobi is now up! You can head on over to read the first two chapters of the baby Korkie adventures!**

 **Next: A Future in Motion - more Quinlan, an expected revelation, and Obi-Wan is called before the Council.**


	7. Chapter Six: A Future in Motion

Perhaps not all of Obi-Wan's friends were completely horrible.

Satine liked Quinlan infinitely more than she'd liked Siri. The kiffar-he'd explained his heritage readily, despite the fact she hadn't asked him-was very easy going, something that seemed like it could be his best and worst trait. Good in the sense that he immediately put people at ease, bad in the sense that it seemed to irritate Obi-Wan to no end.

The Jedi had been there for nearly an hour, but there had been no questioning to speak of. Mainly because Quinlan was too busy trying to tell Obi-Wan's most embarrassing secrets to allow them to do what they'd come for. She wouldn't deny that it was highly entertaining, but it was also only prolonging the time she couldn't be at ease.

During her first pregnancy, she'd been paranoid that she'd accidently run across a Jedi and they'd sense her condition. Thankfully, it had never happened, but this time… She might not be so lucky.

Quinlan drained his third cup of caff, setting it back on the table with a flick of his fingers. "And then there was the time that he convinced us all to go skinny dipping in the temple gardens…"

"I think that's enough stories for today," Obi-Wan interrupted, cheeks flushed a bright pink in embarrassment. "I'm sure her Grace has a busy day planned, and I wouldn't want to keep her from her duties any longer than necessary."

She was about to thank him for his consideration and excuse them when Korkie spoke up. "Please, continue. The only thing we have scheduled is brunch with Senator Amidala, and she'll be coming here." Whether or not he was purposefully ignoring her pointed gaze, she couldn't tell. "I would have thought that the Jedi don't allow such activities."

"You'd be surprised at what all happens in the temple, kid, and how much is actually allowed." Obi-Wan made a warning noise, but Quinlan ignored it, sitting forward confidentially. "When most people think of Jedi, they think of some strict, innocent do-gooder whose life is devoted to helping people and spreading peace."

Obi-Wan raised an amused eyebrow. "We're not?"

The kiffar waved him off. "See, here we have a perfect example. Many would call Obi-Wan the perfect Jedi. Rational, reserved, completely unattached. Knows the code inside and out and could probably recite the entire history of the Jedi. But I'm here to tell you that's all just a facade."

"Quinlan…" There was a warning tone in Obi-Wan's voice, though his face remained completely blank.

"Calm your tits, Kenobi. I'm not going to pick apart your manhood in front of the woman." He grinned, winking at her. "Anyway, I'm sure she's probably already done that herself."

She flushed hotly, catching the not-so-subtle innuendo partially buried in his words. Force, Obi-Wan hadn't been kidding when he said the kiffar said whatever came to his mind.

Quinlan sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Look, it's probably apparent that Obi-Wan and I are polar opposites. He's got a golden tongue that he knows how to hold when the situation calls for it; I say what I mean when I think about it, regardless of the consequences. When we have a mission, he likes to sit down and think about the best way to get the desired result while my only concern is the end, and I'm going to get there no matter what it takes. He sees things as black and white, I see everything as shades of gray." His smile slipped a bit, eyes meeting Obi-Wan's for a moment. "He has horrible taste in people and loves too easily, yet somehow is able to remain wholly unattached; I, on the other hand, rarely love anyone, but somehow manage to kriff up everything when I do.

"The thing is, despite the apparent differences between us, we're still both Jedi at heart. We may not do the same things, or even think the same way, but we both dedicate our existence to following the will of the Force." Obi-Wan snorted derisively, but Quinlan ignore him. "'There is no emotion, there is peace; there is no ignorance, there is knowledge; there is no passion, there is serenity; there is no chaos, there is harmony; there is no death, there is the Force'."

Satine smiled at the familiar words. "The Jedi code."

Quinlan nodded. "Different Jedi view it different ways. Obi-Wan is a part of the category that believes that it's meant to be taken literally. I, much like Qui-Gon and Skywalker, prefer to look upon it as a general guideline that one should be aware of, but not build their life upon. Generally, other's fall somewhere in the middle."

"But which do you believe is right?" There was no questioning Korkie's interest in the discussion, blue eyes riveted to the Jedi with keen interest. "And how does that translate into your personal life?"

This time, Obi-Wan answered. "The code reflects the thoughts of a Jedi at their full potential. The farther away from it a Jedi strays, the weaker they become. Inherently, some Jedi are born stronger than others. Quinlan is more Force-sensitive than most, and as such is able to perform at a level higher than myself and others with less effort."

"What he's trying to say is that I'm lazy and won't work to make myself better because I'm already better than him without even trying." There was no malice or disappointment in Quinlan's voice, and if he was bothered by the fact that Obi-Wan didn't disagree with him, he didn't show it. "As for how this affects our personal lives? It doesn't, really. As long as we're available when they need us and aren't addicted to anything, the Jedi don't really care what we do. It's pretty much up to us to know when and where to draw the line. Does that answer your question?"

Korkie nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he rose. "If you'll excuse me."

Satine met his gaze briefly before he left the room, trying to figure out what had triggered the sudden change in attitude. The small, consolatory smile he offered her did nothing to ease the concern building.

She had half started up to follow him when a flash of light from outside told her that Padmé had arrived. She smothered a sigh as she excused herself from the Jedi, wishing not for the first time that she actually had all the time in the world to take with her son.

But, like so many other things that should be important in her life, he would have to wait.

* * *

Obi-Wan had a bad feeling about this.

He stood in the center of the council chambers, a place he hadn't been in since he'd been elected onto the council. Even now, his chair sat empty, seeming to call to him.

Mace steepled his fingers, avoiding his gaze for the first time ever. "Master Tachi came to us this morning in your absence."

 _Bloody hell_. He stiffened. "I don't…"

"She believes that you are allowing personal matters to cloud your judgement when it comes to this mission." Shaak Ti's gaze was somewhere above his shoulder, something that was odd for the Togrutan master. "Hence, your choice to take Master Vos this morning in her stead."

"Siri and the Duchess don't get along well." Someone snorted, though who, he couldn't tell. "As it is, the girl speaks Durese, which Quinlan is fluent in."

Mace raised an eyebrow. "The Duchess made known to you her discomfort?"

Blast. "No, but…"

"Siri Tachi was chosen due to her previous meeting with the Duchess. It seems to be her opinion that Duchess Kryze enjoys her company, and that it was your feelings on the subject that called for her removal." Shaak sighed. "Look, Obi-Wan, your regard for the Duchess has hardly been a secret. Until now, it hasn't been a problem, but…"

"It isn't…"

"If it wasn't, then we wouldn't be having this conversation." Mace frowned. "We haven't pulled you from the case because of your relation to the Duchess. However, that will change if you allow your feelings to cloud your judgement."

He clenched his jaw. "And Siri isn't?"

Kit sat forward in his chair, interest sparking in his eyes. "Are you saying you have reason to believe that her motives are not unadulterated?"

He hesitated. Despite her flaws, she was his friend. "I do. I had occasion to speak to the Duchess during her previous visit here, and she revealed that Siri had said… things… to her, in regards to our previous involvement." He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "I hadn't confronted her in hopes that she would let it be. After seeing that her attitude was unchanged yesterday, Quinlan agreed to go with me today in an effort to avoid any more unpleasantness."

"And when did this talk with the Duchess occur?" Kit's eyes sparkled, as if he knew something.

 _Blast._ "Senator Amidala told me that she'd attended my funeral, and I felt that it was only right that I tell her the truth. I went to her the evening I returned to Coruscant."

"Is it safe to assume that a little more than talking occured?" Mace asked drily. "I find it hard to believe that Her Grace simply told you that Siri told her of your previous sex life and nothing happened."

 _He was_ not _discussing his sex life in front of the council._ "Is that a problem?"

"Perhaps you should answer that yourself."

* * *

Korkie yawned quietly, palming shut the door to his room. Amadi was sound asleep in his bed, meaning that he was going to have to endure another night on his aunt's-mother's-couch. It wasn't a horrible couch, as many of her pieces were made for comfort as much as they were for elegance and style. But it was still no bed.

Thank goodness he was relatively short.

Gathering the blankets from the linen closet, he was about to make up his makeshift bed when he saw there was a light on in the kitchen.

Was the Duchess still awake?

Not ready to give into his self-imposed exile just yet, he made a quick detour to the lit room. Sure enough, his aunt- _mother_ -was there, fast asleep at the counter. She had a cup of tea at one elbow that, upon closer inspection, was still warm, signalling that she'd only fallen asleep recently. The fact was solidified by the datapad still powered on in front of her.

Absently, he picked it up, looking over what she had been reading.

 _Upon entering the second trimester, some symptoms begin to decline, such as morning sickness, cramping, breast tenderness, etc. At this time, abdominal growth, false contractions, and mild moving sensations may also become noticeable…_

It took him too long to process what he was reading. When he did, however, he dropped the datapad as if it was on fire. It clattered onto the countertop loudly, immediately rousing the Duchess from her rest.

Blonde wisps of hair stuck up in all directions as she squinted up at him, eyes bleary from sleep. "Korkie? Where am… Did I fall asleep?"

He gaped back at her, at a loss of what to say. His brain felt fried, the words he'd read looping endlessly through his vision.

"What…" Her fair skin paled as her gaze landed on the datapad, and she exhaled slowly. "Oh. I had planned to tell you."

"You're…" The words stuck in his throat, and he swallowed. "How?"

She sighed, avoiding his gaze. "Does it matter?"

"Does it…" he trailed off in disbelief. "Of course it matters! Do you even hear yourself? You can't raise a child alone.."

"I've done it before. Granted, it was a task that I did not complete gracefully, but does it even matter?" He could hear the frustration in her voice as she stood, taking her mug of tea and setting it in the warmer. "I made an ill-fated decision, and now I must face the consequences. Circumstances dictate that I must face them alone, just as I did eighteen years ago."

"Eighteen years ago was a mistake."

She turned on him then, eyes snapping angrily. " _You_ were _not_ a mistake. If you think that I ever regretted anything about the circumstances surrounding your conception, then you are mistaken. The only thing I ever regretted was not being able to provide you with a whole family, or even a home. You were a treasure that I was fortunate to receive, a reminder of the love that I lost. How could I regret that?"

If she could be stubborn, then so could he. "You sent me away."

"You were in danger, damn it!" She let out a string of Mandalorian expletives under her breath. "I didn't think I had a choice. I was young, naive, and terrified that they would find out who you were and take you away from me."

"They?"

She flinched, cursing again. "I'm sure you must have already guessed who your father was."

"Kenobi?"

"I never told him that I was pregnant with you." She swallowed. "I knew he would have wanted to do the right thing, to leave the order, but I couldn't… he'd made his decision, and I thought I was completely capable of raising you on my own. By the time I realized that you were Force-sensitive, I believed it was too late."

 _Force-sensitive_. He'd heard the Jedi say that, and knew it had something to do with how they worked. "You taught me how to control it."

"As best I knew how." Taking her tea out of the warmer, she took a sip of it. "I'd learned enough from Obi-Wan and Master Jinn to teach you the basics. I contemplated sending you to the Jedi, but couldn't bear the thought of parting with you at such a young age."

"They found out?" Though it was the logical answer, it didn't ring true in his mind. "Is that why you sent me away?"

She shook her head. "No, they never knew. At least, if they did, they never confronted me of it. I wouldn't have been surprised if Qui-Gon found out at some time, or even Master Yoda." She sat down again, taking his hand. "No, it wasn't the Jedi I was afraid of. I'm sure you've heard of the Sith in your studies?"

Of course he had. Every true Mandalorian had to know their history, a history much intertwined with the Jedi and their enemies, the Sith, though their presence had been eradicated over a millennia ago. "I've read a bit about them."

"Do you remember, the day before I sent you away, we were watching a news program about the Trade Federation's occupation of Naboo?"

"Yes." The day was forever engraved in his mind.

"The Zabrak who killed Master Jinn, and was in turn killed by Obi-Wan-Padawan Kenobi, at the time-" She paused, swallowing. "I later found out from your father that the Jedi suspected him to be one of them, a Sith."

Korkie inhaled sharply. "I thought they were extinct."

"So did the Jedi." She smoothed back a loose strand of hair off of his forehead, eyes softening. "I knew that they would be looking for someone to take advantage of, someone open and receptive to views other than the Jedi. My story was never strong-I honestly have no idea how no one questioned it for so long-and I was afraid that someone with an interest might notice that you were different, gifted. By sending you away from me, and thus putting you out of the public eye, I believed that you would be better protected."

"What changed?"

She looked away from him, blue eyes clouding over with shame. "I needed you," she admitted softly. "When I found out… I don't want to make the same mistakes I made with you. I never should have sent you away…"

"You were afraid." He couldn't blame her for that, even if it had hurt him. "You made an ill-advised decision, and we both suffered because of it. But that's in the past. You chose to change something-a choice that you see as selfish, a choice that I see as redeeming. You are my mother, and it's not wrong for you to want to change your life for the better." He sat back, running a hand through his hair tiredly. "Now that we've gotten that cleared up, let's move on to the matter at hand. Was it my father?"

She exhaled slowly, nodding. "The day he came back to Coruscant, after the whole thing with him faking his death, the council sent Master Tachi here to make sure my apartment was secure."

So that was how they'd known each other. "Master Kenobi came with her?"

"He came by himself, not knowing that she was here. I expect that he'd come to explain his faked death, but he could hardly do that with a fellow Jedi present."

Korkie frowned, trying to process the information. "But… you're… they're… she said…" he made a vague motion to her stomach, feeling his cheeks redden. "If they are… er… together… how did you and he..."

She smiled, seemingly amused at his discomfort. "Have sex? Again?" Flushing hotly, he nodded, prompting her to chuckle. "Since he had been unable to speak to me with Siri present, he came back that night. I asked him to stay."

"Did you know, then? About them?"

"I asked him, yes. He confessed that they had been involved some time back, but their dedication to the Order had caused them to drift apart. From what I gathered, he had been unaware that she hadn't realized that he'd moved on." Sighing, she rubbed her stomach slowly. "I had thought that to be the end of it, as I had no intention of seeing him again, but a few weeks later I found out I was pregnant. Then, of course, you asked to come here, and somehow managed to entangle yourself with the very people I was trying to avoid within a week."

He winced at the sarcastic exasperation in her voice. "I'm sorry."

Her expression softened, a slight sheen glossing over her eyes. "You did nothing wrong. It was my fault, for trying to keep everything such a secret. You only made me admit the truth."

Kriff. The last thing he needed was for her to get emotional on him. He searched his mind frantically for a change of subject. "So… I'm going to be a big brother?"

She laughed softly, wiping away the fledgling tears. "Yes, in about six or seven months."

Six or seven months. He would already be a few months into his position as regent. Even though the position held no real power, except for whatever the ruling Duke or Duchess bestowed upon them, it was an important part of a ruler's training, and a Mandalorian tradition. "Do you plan to tell him?"

"No." The word was low but emphatic, her eyes turning flinty. "I know that I should, but I can't. I made him a promise, that I wouldn't try to influence him to leave as long as he was needed elsewhere. If he were to find out…"

She didn't have to finish the sentence. He'd heard the sincerity in the Jedi's voice, the dedication in his eyes as he'd spoken about his work. It had never occured to him, before, that the way of the Jedi could be a choice rather than a mandated rule. It wasn't a job, but a way of life.

A way of life that could-would-be ruined if he ever found out that his actions had resulted in something so irreversable, so permanent.

For a moment, Korkie considered what his life might have been if his father had known about him. He may have grown up with both of his parents, but at what cost. Would he have admired his father if he'd never known him as Master Kenobi, The Negotiator? Would he have appreciated his mother, or would he have taken her love for granted because he'd never known what it was to be without it?

What was the use of even thinking about it? He would never know, and even if he did, what would it profit him now?

"So what will they be recognized as? I doubt Aunt Bo would allow you to pass off any child as hers, so another neice or nephew is out." He sat back, rubbing his chin contemplatively. "Adoption would be too suspicious, and I'll already be in place to ascend the throne."

She looked down at her mug, her shoulders sagging. "I've already thought it through My only options are to either raise it in secret-something that will be difficult now that so many of my alliances have fallen through-or give it up."

He shook his head. "Hiding won't work, especially now that you're in the focus of the media." He didn't want to even think about the other option, as horrible as it was. Hell, he would never want that to happen. He would do anything to stop that from happening, even if it meant… "That's it."

"What?"

"Well, a niece or nephew wouldn't work, but how about a _grand-_ niece or nephew?"

* * *

 **Hahahahaha, long time no see, huh? Sorry, no long author's note today. I honestly have nothing to say except that the schedule has been temporarily paused until my life has been restored to some amount of certainty. I will still be updating as often as I can, just maybe not on the every other week basis.**

 **Thank you, for all the support I've received during this difficult time! You guys are a real inspiration to me, and I swear I'm trying my hardest to put these chapters out as often as I can. I hope this will be a temporary appeasemen!**

 **sc4589 (FF): Thank you so much for reviewing! To be honest, the confession wasn't expected by me anymore than you. O_o**

 **ry1765 (Ao3): You're so welcome! You guys truly mean the world to me! (And now, it's two secrets…)**

 **AlexaHiwatari98 (Ao3): Once again, Padmé didn't make it into this chapter, but she's coming soon, I promise! Both her and Anakin will be making an appearance soon, and we'll definitely get some insight on what their thoughts are on the whole scenario.**

 **.L (FF): Well, was the second secret just as surprising?**

 **DogsAreTheBest312 (Ao3): She did it! Now, just to wait and see how this whole situation plays out…**

 **Darth Cody (FF): Sorry it took me so long to reply to your question! Because I didn't have the space to explicitly put Obitine or Obi-Wan/Satine in the summary of the story, it doesn't show up in search results fo either of those. Knowing that some people only actually browse in either one of the two categories, I decided to go the extra mile and post it in both. :)**

 **allthepesy (Tumblr): As always, your review made me laugh! Yes, you got your wish, two actually. Don't worry, this is far from the last we've seen of Quinlan. No doubt he's going to show up a few more times before this whole dramafest is over.**

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the love and support, and until next time!**

 **(No sneek peak of the next chapter, because I honestly have no idea what's going to happen yet)**

 **P.S. WHO ELSE IS KRIFFING EXCITING FOR THE CLONE WARS COMING BACK? THE SIEGE OF MANDALORE, EVERYONE! I'M SCREAMING!**


	8. Chapter Seven:Uninvitations of All Kinds

"Obi-Wan!"

He exhaled slowly, his eyes meeting Quinlan's briefly before he turned around. "Siri."

"You weren't going to leave without me, were you?" She asked teasingly, striding toward them. "It's almost as if you don't want me to go."

He didn't, but something kept him from saying that aloud. "I didn't think that you'd want to go."

She propped her fists on her hips, raising an eyebrow. "And what would make you think that?"

He needed to tell her, but how? It wasn't as if he could forbid her from seeing Satine, and the last thing he wanted to do was give her any indicator that he still cared for her. Despite a several hour meditation session the night before on the subject, he was at a loss of what the will of the Force was.

Whatever it was, it would have to wait.

Sighing, Obi-Wan nodded to the speeder. "Never mind. Shall we go?"

He could sense Quinlan's disapproval, but he ignored it. In typical Quinlan fashion, he had wanted Obi-Wan to call Siri out after hearing that she'd taken the situation before the council. Even though the idea had it's merits, the last thing he needed was to have the news spread around the temple, as it would be sure to do. The Jedi was a tight knit community with thin walls and subsequently very healthy gossip line. No doubt the news that he and Siri were having a spat would be all across the temple by lunch if he wasn't careful.

Siri hopped into the open topped speeder, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder. "So, catch me up. What have we learned?"

Quinlan grunted, obviously irritated. "She speaks Durese. She's had four or five masters, and Solo's had her for the past two years. Oh, and she adores the kid. Anything else?"

"Amadi was the property of someone who goes by the name stone," Obi-Wan cut in, stopping the imminent retort before it was released. "She had only seen him once, when she and a few others were brought to an unknown location before being handed over to Solo. From what she has described, he's approximately my height and of slender build."

"No facial features?"

He shook his head, turning on the speeder. "Hooded, of course, though she believes he also had a mask on beneath that. The only distinguishing features she was able to give us was that he had a heavy accent and a withered hand." Obi-Wan sighed. "Because of the utter lack of information we have on the subject, we're going to instead try to find Solo first. The twi'lek-Tula-still hasn't made a reappearance, according to Kit and Aayla, so we're being forced to settle for finding a pattern in Solo's movements, or at least as many as Amadi remembers."

"Have you talked to the kid at all?" Siri asked, leaning over his shoulder casually. "I mean, he was the one who got most of the information. Perhaps he might know a little more?"

"Korkie?" He contemplated the thought for a moment before setting it aside. "Even if he does know something-which is doubtful-I very highly doubt that Satine would be open to him being questioned, or involved in this investigation at all."

He felt her tense when he said the Duchess's name, but she didn't remark on it. "The only thing you can do is try. If it would help, I could talk to them."

Obi-Wan hesitated, not entirely sure of her motives. "I'm not sure that would be the best course of action, given the current circumstances."

"You'll have to enlighten me on what those circumstances are," she breathed, saccharine sweetness seeming to ooze from her voice. "As far as I am aware, there can be no reason for me not to talk to them, could there?"

She was baiting him, but he refused to step into it. "I simply got the impression that Korkie is not especially fond of us."

"I can't imagine why." In the rearview mirror, he could see the anger in her eyes. "I mean, from everyone's account, it seems that he likes Jedi well enough. If I didn't know better, I would almost think he has something against me in particular."

Blast, she wasn't going to give up. "You have to admit you weren't very cordial during your first meeting."

She glared at him. "And neither were you, if my memory serves me correctly." When he didn't reply, she scoffed. "Anyway, the kid had it coming to him. I don't know who he thinks he is, to talk to us like he did."

"The future Duke of Mandalore, perhaps?" Quinlan interjected. "You can't go around insulting people just because they don't like you."

"As if you're so innocent."

"Drop it, both of you." The apartment building Satine was staying in came into view as they turned a corner, and the last thing he wanted was for either of them to take their anger into her apartment. Force knew that they already would have more than enough tension without them bringing anymore in with them. "Siri, I would appreciate it if you would try to be nice to Korkie. And Quinlan, it would be nice to actually get some work done today, besides drinking all of the Duchess's caff."

Siri wrinkled her nose. "Who made you the boss? We're not your padawans, you know. Technically, we're both older than you."

" _Technically_ , I outrank both of you." He was trying and failing miserably to not be irritated. "But I was only making a suggestion on how to make this process easier. You're welcome to do the same, if you wish."

Despite the fact that he could clearly sense that she did have something to say, she remained silent, which was fine with him. He knew he would eventually have to confront her, but he was willing to put off that day as long as possible. The council would continue to fuss, Quinlan would badger him, Siri would hint, and he would do his best to ignore them all.

* * *

Korkie collapsed onto the couch, exhausted. The sun was already beginning to rise on the city, but he wanted nothing less than to go to sleep. He'd stayed up far too late researching his mother's condition and what it entailed-sex ed was not a class in most Mandalorian schools, as parents or guardians were expected to explain to their children the workings of their bodies, and Korkie had consequently grown up with a very slim, almost pitiful knowledge.

The holonet, however, was full of details and facts. Many of which he quickly regretted learning.

Why did women even choose to have children, with all the difficulties it caused?

His research also told him that faking a pregnancy while attempting to disguise another would not be as feasible as he had assumed. Though, with care, it was possible, if risky.

Not that his aunt-mother-had even agreed to the scheme. She'd protested sharply, insisting that the burden was hers to carry and she wouldn't dream of putting it on his shoulders-ignoring his argument that she _had_ come to him for help in the first place-and attempting to find a better solution.

A solution she would be hard pressed to find, especially with so little time to prepare. By his calculations, it would only be a matter of weeks before she would begin to show, and disguises would begin to take the forefront.

She would have to make a choice, and soon.

Until then, he'd planned to be prepared. Whether he took the role of father, brother, cousin, or even friend, he wanted to be aware of what to expect.

Now, he wasn't sure if that was even a possibility.

It had been late when he'd set aside his datapad in favor of a few hours of sleep, but that had quickly been interrupted by a pang of distress from Amadi. He'd found her in the throes of a nightmare, and had spent the next hour coaxing her back to sleep. Somehow-he still wasn't sure how exactly-he'd fallen asleep with her in his arms, and had woken an hour later to find himself in an embarrassingly compromising position that had warranted an agonizingly long, extremely cold shower.

He was quickly beginning to understand his fellows' enamorment with the opposite sex. Even in his sleep-especially in his sleep-he was constantly assaulted with memories of her lips on his, the softness of her skin, the feeling of her in his arms…

 _Kriff_.

Korkie stood abruptly, pacing the confines of the living area as he wrestled with the lust that seemed to take over his very being. Amadi was hardly the first woman he'd ever seen, or even desired, but never had he felt it as strong as this. The sensations both terrified and disgusted him, the words of Kenobi replaying in his mind in an endless loop.

 _You're no better than them, though, are you?_

He raked a hand through his hair, distressed to realize that he had been right. How could he call himself her rescuer when he wanted the same thing? It hurt to know that the first person he'd even considered seriously would forever be out of his reach.

If only he could convince himself not to care.

Korkie paused, wondering if this was how his mother felt. Caring so deeply for one person that she knew she could never have because she loved him?

At least she wasn't being punished to a lifetime of celibacy.

He laughed bitterly. Becoming a Jedi seemed more and more realistic every day.

"Korki?" He turned to find his mother standing in the doorway, faint dark circles under her eyes and concern etched into her features. "What are you doing up at this time?"

"Couldn't sleep." Admitting it only increased the feeling of exhaustion weighing on him, and he let his head fall to her shoulder when she hugged him. "Besides, the Jedi will be here soon."

She cursed softly. "Why they insist on arriving at such an ungodly hour is beside me." Pulling away, her eyes searched his. "If it's too much for you to have him here, I can make an excuse to go somewhere. We still haven't visited the Space Museum and seen your starfighter."

Even though the idea was tempting, he shook his head. "No, I couldn't do that to her. I don't doubt that they'll treat her right, but…" He trailed off, unable to put his thoughts into words. "Anyway, I don't mind being around them. It's… enlightening, and gives me something to think about."

Regret flashed through her eyes. "I'm sorry about all of this. You shouldn't have to be forced to deal with all this…" the Duchess exhaled slowly. "Korkie, I can't make your decisions for you. I can't stop you from telling him, if you want…"

"No." Even though a part of him longed for the family he'd never had, he knew that the chance to make things right was long past. "He chose his path. If he didn't love you enough to stay without an additional sense of obligation, then I doubt that his finding out he has a son will spark anything other than guilt."

Something-sadness?-lit in her eyes, and she whispered something in Mandalorian that he didn't hear before turning away. "I'm going to make myself some tea. You should try to rest before the Jedi get here."

"Too late." Even in the short time he'd known Kenobi, he'd already memorized his presence. It was familiar, like a long lost memory that he couldn't place.

It took him a few minutes, however, to recognize and place the two presences accompanying him. Quinlan Vos had been an easy guess, but the woman… He scowled. Master Tachi, with all of her smooth talk and baiting words. Why did she even come, if not to torment his mother?

 _Shavit_. His mother. Though she'd tried to hide it, he sensed the pain when she'd spoken of his father and Siri's relationship, and the not-so-subtle animosity that emanated from the blonde Jedi had been hard to ignore."

"On the other hand, the space museum doesn't sound like that bad of an idea."

The duchess glanced back at him, brows furrowing. "Really?"

He shrugged, realizing too late that his sudden about face was likely to make her even more suspicious. "I'm just saying, you don't have to stay on my account. If you'd rather not be here, for any reason, I'm sure Amadi and I could very well hold down the fort while you go."

He could sense that the idea appealed to her, but she was also skeptical of his motives.

Well, why shouldn't she be? _He_ would have been skeptical of his motives as well.

Understanding lit in her eyes, and the blue orbs narrowed. "You want to get rid of me."

"No, no, none of that." Korkie _did_ want to get rid of her, but only for her own good. "I'm just saying, I understand that things aren't exactly all amicable between you and my father, and I'd hate to make you feel like you have to be here for this if you'd rather be elsewhere." To his despair, she did not look convinced, instead folding her arms over her chest. "I mean, your vacation is almost over as it is, and I'm the one who made us extend it. If you need to go to your office and take care of some paperwork, you can, and…"

"Korkie." Her lips had thinned into a straight line, and he flinched at the harshness in her voice. "What is it? You know something, and you're not telling me."

He hesitated, trying to find the better of two solutions. Tell her and risk her choosing to stay simply to prove that she was strong enough to handle Siri Tachi-she was-or not telling her and feigning some inane excuse that she would likely see right through and chastise him for lying when she found out the truth.

Neither was a pleasant option.

Thankfully-or not, depending on how one looked at it-he didn't have to choose, for the unspoken third option was chosen before he could either say the woman's name or think of an invisible excuse.

The Jedi herself strode into the living quarters as if she owned the place, dragging behind her her two very reluctant male counterparts who were offering each other furious glares and-he was almost sure-telepathic communication.

He wondered for a moment if he would be able to figure out what they were saying-he _was_ kind of a Jedi, as it was-but a brief attempt found him faced with a thrumming barrier that he supposed was the product of _actual_ Jedi.

"Duchess." Siri dropped a quick bow before his mother, though the respect in it-if there even was any-was very small. Her eyes flicked to him, giving him a brief once over. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to do something a little different with our investigation today."

The Duchess stiffened, and he could sense her barriers quickly rising defensively, both toward the intruder and said intruder's brisk manner. "Master Tachi. I was unaware you had any authority on this case."

Though he could sense Siri's irritation at the barb, she did an admirable job of hiding it. "I suppose that shows how little you know of Jedi investigations, Duchess," she replied evenly. "But, as it is, I'm not here to speak with you, but _his Lordship_."

It took Korkie a few minutes to realize she was talking about him, so rarely was the title used. Technically, since Mandalore's highest ruler was the Duke or Duchess, he was crown prince-or 'his highness'-a title he was called by when attending formal events or his friends used when they were looking for a fight. Everyone else generally referred to him as Korkie or Cadet Kryze, depending on how well they knew him.

It only took him a few moments to decide that Siri definitely didn't know enough about him to call him by his name.

"And how could I be of assistance to you?" he crossed his arms over his chest, hoping it made him look taller than his one-point-seven meters. His height, or lack thereof, was likely to forever be a source of constant ire for him. Few people could respect someone who was shorter than themselves.

"How did you meet this Solo?"

With great effort, Korkie tried his best to appear relaxed and ignore the niggling feeling in the back of his mind. "He approached me at the bar, after I spoke to Kenobi that night."

"Was that the first time you'd seen him?"

"No, I'd noticed him two other evenings." He frowned. "What is this? Am I under investigation, now."

"Yes," Siri replied decisively.

"No," Kenobi said at the same time, shooting her a silencing look. "No, you're not suspected of any wrongdoing. We simply wanted to see if you might have unconsciously gathered pertinent information during your interaction with Solo. We've been, as of yet, unsuccessful in collecting useful information from the girl. You have provided the majority of the evidence that we have, and we only want to make sure that we're not missing anything." He paused, hesitating as he glanced at Satine. "That is, if it's agreeable to Her Grace."

 _Her Grace_ did not seem to find it agreeable in the least, but she allowed him to speak.

"My aunt would be the last person to stand in the way of a Jedi investigation, and I'm sure she'll be understanding if I'm needed to provide evidence." Though he doubted that she would like the fact that they were questioning him, she would want the process to go as quickly as possible. As it was, he was old enough to rule Mandalore, which meant that he should at least be able to answer for himself. "Please, have a seat. May I offer you something to drink, Master Jedi? I was just about to have my morning tea, but we have caff as well."

"We're not here for a social ca-" Siri began, but Obi-Wan cut her off.

"Tea, thank you." He offered Korkie the barest of smiles, the fine lines around the corners of his eyes crinkling up and a hint of a dimple visible through his beard.

So that was where he got the dimple from.

Quinlan took a seat at one end of the sofa. "I'll have a caff, as dark as you can get it. Siri?"

"Nothing, thank you." The woman sat stiffly as Korkie relayed the orders to the waiting protocol droid. He could sense some of the air go out of her, as if her confidence depended on intimidation.

Actually, it probably did.

Taking a seat in one of the two armchairs, he crossed one leg over the other, assuming a casual position. "So, Master Jedi, what exactly do you want from me?"

Quinlan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You say you noticed the smuggler before he approached you. What about him stuck out to you, that you remembered him?"

Korkie thought about the question a moment before answering. He was suddenly aware that simply saying that he had sensed that Solo was watching him would likely seem a bit too suspicious, though it was the truth. "I like to be aware of my surroundings. The first night, I was paranoid that someone would recognize me, and quickly noticed that he was watching me. I simply thought he was a smuggler looking to gain a sponsor in the industry. I didn't know he was connected to Amadi until he approached me."

"And what was your impression of him?" Kenobi accepted his cup and took an appreciative sip. "Whatever you remember about him, no matter how small."

"Arrogant. No doubt intelligent, but it was diminished by the fact that he was overconfident." He ran a hand through his hair. "There was a slimy quality about him. Relatively new to the business, from the way he was dressed. I suspect that he'd come into some sort of windfall or bonus relatively recently, and saw me as easy pickings to gather just a bit more loot before he had to make his big getaway."

"You think he knew we were looking for him?"

"No. He's a nomad, never staying in one place long enough for anyone to get too suspicious," Korkie amended. "He realized I had money, and that I was interested in Amadi, and likely would have left earlier if he hadn't thought that he'd be able to get something a tidy sum out of me. When he saw me speaking to Master Kenobi, I think he began to get suspicious, but greediness won out in the end. I think he began to panic when he saw you come back again."

Quinlan nodded. "He went back to cover his tracks."

"Or he thought I was one of you." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Which I think he quickly realized was not the case. He wasn't expecting me to offer him money for her, and especially not in such quantity. He tried to get me to pay eighteen, but I managed to talk him down. After I paid him and he realized that there was likely more where it had come from, he proved to be much more cordial."

"I'm sure." Siri looked up from the datapad she was collecting the information on. "And I assume that's when he gave you his name and address."

Blast. This was where things got tricky. "He told me he was going back to Corellia for a bit and where I could find his contact if I needed anything else. After that, we exchanged names and went our separate ways."

Kenobi frowned. "You gave him your name?"

"Middle name," he amended. There was a minute flash of panic from his mother, but why, he wasn't entirely sure.

"You're middle…?" Siri paused, stylus poised in the air.

"Ben."

* * *

 **Hello, hello, hello! It's been a bit, hasn't it? Anyway, thank you guys for being so patient with me. School started two weeks ago, and I'm taking extra classes to graduate early, so it's been a bit of a struggle to find time to write. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and know that the next will see some more familiar faces that we all know.**

 **Thank you for all of your support, whether it be in the form of kudos, favorites, follows, comments, reviews, or subscriptions! I love you all!**

 **AlexaHiwatari98 (Ao3): Lol, yes.**

 **Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay (FF): I definitely agree with you. Though Korkie offering to raise the child as his own was a relatively new idea, it was such a natural progression. He's a sweetheart like that. I think Obi-Wan is right, but he also needs to man up and just say it.**

 **ry1765 (Ao3): Thank you so much for taking the time to review! Though we didn't get up close and personal with Satine's reaction, I hope you are happy with this chapter.**

 **Rachaelizame (Ao3): Korkie is a huge sweetheart, though Satine doesn't seem very open to his suggestion. But who knows what the future will bring? Certainly not me.**

 **ii Digestive Reader ii (FF): I'm so glad to see that you reviewed (more than I can say for myself on your books, though I love them). I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Nightsisterkaris (Ao3): Yeah, if Korkie ever manages to convince his mother, they're definitely going to have their work cut out for them!**

 **sc4589 (FF): Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm sorry that you had to wait so long for this.**

 **Once again, thank you all for your patience, I really appreciate it. Also, I've put up a big announcement on my Tumblr, so go check that out if you haven't already.**

 **Love you guys, and I'll see you next time!**


	9. Chapter Eight: Dialogues and Discussions

**Warning: Anakin-lovers beware. There will be some hints of darkish-Anakin in the latter half of the chapter, so if that's not your cup of tea, I suggest skipping everything that isn't in Obi-Wan's POV for this chapter.**

* * *

Obi-Wan was actually surprised that Siri kept her cool as long as she did. Of course, both he and Quinlan could sense the very tangible anger radiating off of her, but she did an admirable job of managing a blank facade.

At least, until they made it back to his quarters in the temple.

"Ben?" She seethed, eyes shooting daggers. "His middle name is _Ben_?"

 _Kriff_. He raised his hands defensively. "Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are."

Siri scoffed, tugging on her ponytail in a familiar gesture he knew to be one of frustration. "Don't tell me it's just coincidence."

"Then I won't." He _couldn't_ , after all, when he didn't know the answer himself. "Why do you assume it has anything to do with me, as it is? Ben isn't even my name."

She offered him nothing more than a sardonic glare. "You said she called you that."

"Did I?" Appearing innocent felt like it was his only option now.

"Yes, you did."

"Oh." Mind racing, he tried a different tack. "She called me that because it was the name of one of her friend's brother." It didn't matter that that brother was _him_ , only that she'd called him it before she knew that.

Siri snorted and stomped into the kitchen. "Right. And she just happened to name her brat the same name."

He glanced around for Quinlan, but the bloody bastard must have sneaked off. "You can't hold me responsible for whatever she decided to do. She's had him since he was an infant, and likely had to choose a name for him. What am I to say if she chooses my _nickname_ for his _middle name_?"

Despite that his words made perfect logical sense, she turned her back to him with a sniff.

He didn't blame her, but blast it all to hell. What was he to do? He was just as at a loss by the revelation as she was. "What if she'd named him Jinn? Would you think she and Qui-Gon was involved?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Obi-Wan. That's completely different." She yanked open a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of brandy. "Unless you're trying to completely deny that you guys were involved now."

Well, he'd walked right into that one. "So what if we were?" Appearing defensive would likely not be the wisest choice when dealing with Siri, but he was quickly becoming just annoyed as she. "That has nothing to do with this-whatever _this_ is. She was given her dead brother's child, and decided to give him the same middle name as my nickname, her friend's brother's name, and the name of millions of other people across the galaxy, if she was even the one to name him."

She didn't say anything for a moment, pouring herself a glass of brandy and tossing it back as if it was a shot. Setting the empty tumbler on the counter, she pulled off her ponytail holder and shook out her hair before plaiting it into a single braid. "You know what, I don't even care anymore." Sighing, she came over to where he was standing and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I don't want to fight, not with you, not tonight."

Obi-Wan stiffened, automatically moving to pull away. "Siri…"

She sighed, and he could feel the genuine exhaustion and sadness radiating from her. "Please, Obi-Wan. We're both tired. I just want you to hold me." When he didn't relax, she looked up at him beseechingly, blue eyes soft and careworn. For a moment, he was transported back to a time before teenage hormones and immature infatuations had tainted their relationship.

He was torn. She was his _friend_ , even if she wished that they were something more. It wasn't her fault that he hadn't loved her like she'd wanted, or even that he'd fallen for someone else.

Yet, he didn't feel right about holding her, especially when he _was_ still upset with her.

Thankfully, backup chose that exact moment to effectively rescue him from making a far too difficult decision that he wasn't yet ready to face.

The door to his quarters slid open and Quinlan, Aayla, and Kit stampeded in, carrying bags and boxes of what looked to be takeout from the cafeteria.

Silently thanking the Force for the opportune interruption, he pulled away from Siri and took one of the boxes from Aayla, brushing past Quinlan with a whispered, "bloody finally."

The kiffar offered him a glare of silent disapproval, but Obi-Wan could sense his thoughts as clearly as if they'd been yelled in his face.

 _You owe me._

He sighed, avoiding Siri's hurt gaze as he helped to lay out the spread across the coffee table. Aayla and Kit wanted to be caught up on all the particulars of the case, which gave him something to think about other than his utter lack of courage in confronting Siri.

And the fact that Satine had named her _nephew_ after him.

"So what's our method of action from here?" Aayla popped a piece of fruit into her mouth, leaning back on the couch.

"Korkie has agreed to help with the investigation, provided that we ensure Amadi is cleared to leave Republic airspace within the week, no matter the outcome." An ultimatum Obi-Wan had been unwilling to agree to. "We've negotiated it down to a trial run tonight, to make sure we're getting worth our while."

Kit's eyebrows raised. "And your girlfriend didn't object?"

Great, just what he needed. More people teasing him about Satine. "Even if _her Grace_ was to make an objection, she has consideration for the boy and lets him make his own decisions in most matters. He is of age, as it is, and will begin taking on duties at the end of the year."

"And what does this trial run consist of?"

"He'll go back to the bar tonight and try to meet the Twi'lek who Solo works with under the guise of buying another slave," Quinlan explained, swallowing an entire meat roll. "Obi-Wan and Aayla will be monitoring everything via the surveillance system, Siri will provide physical backup if necessary, and I'll be running perimeter just in case our friend decides to run."

Aayla seemed dubious. "You're virtually sending him in alone? Where in your mind is this a good idea?'

Obi-Wan frowned, immediately put on the defensive. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"He's a spoiled rich kid not even out of school, and you're sending him to take down a crime ring we've been tracking for _weeks_?"

"You forget, Aayla, we have that spoiled rich kid to thank for all of the information we have had so far," he retorted. "And who are we to talk? We're sending children younger than him onto the front lines every day."

Her eyes narrowed. "A decision I had no part in. It was _your_ council that sent them."

"You speak as if we had a choice, when the Senate gave us none."

"Of course, blame the Senate. That's what you do best when you're not kriffing them."

Obi-Wan stiffened. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Easy, guys…" Kit looked between the two of them nervously, trying to insert some measure of calm into the situation. "None of this has anything to do with the case…"

Aayla scoffed. "Oh, but doesn't it? Are we just going to ignore that he won't take responsibility so he can keep kriffing around with his little _Schutta_ of a Duchess?"

" _Padawan_." Quinlan's tone was sharp even as he placed a firm hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "That's enough."

"But it's true, isn't it?" Aayla shot him a venomous look as she ignored her former master. "He even tried to get Siri kicked off the team because she and the duchess don't 'get along', apparently."

Both Quinlan and Obi-Wan turned to glare at Kit, who shrugged guiltily.

Bloody hell.

Feeling Siri's eyes boring into his back-no wonder she had been so suspicious this morning-he grappled for the words to say.

"I never tried to remove Siri from the team. As Kit can obviously testify-considering that he seems to have no qualms about speaking on confidential matters-Siri does not speak Durese, which is the only language Amadi appears to be fluent in. Thus, her presence was not needed."

Aayla crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow, still unconvinced. "And that's why you magically changed your mind this morning."

"The council thought it best. I was unaware that they had sent Siri because of her previous acquaintance with the Duchess." He raised his eyebrows. "Happy now?"

She wasn't, but she dropped the subject. "I still think you're making a mistake, sending the kid in there. This is a Jedi problem, and Jedi should be the one to save it."

Quinlan shook his head. "It isn't a Jedi problem. It's a Republic problem that the Senate has made into a Jedi problem."

"Even worse. It's a Republic problem, one that the Senate has entrusted us to handle, and we're sending in a Separatist to do so."

"Mandalore is Neutral, and pacifistic at that," Obi-Wan pointed out.

Siri snorted. "What's the difference? If they're not for us, they're against us, right?"

Kit frowned and shook his head. "I'm pretty sure…"

"Shut up and eat your seaweed."

Quinlan stood, taking his empty plate to the kitchen. "I, for one, have every confidence that the kid's going to be okay. He's got a solid head on his shoulders, and hasn't managed to get himself robbed or beaten up, which is something more than many of us can say at that age." He swilled the remains of his cup of caff and tossed it in the garbage. "Anyway, there's something about him. Mark my words, the kid's going to change the galaxy someday."

* * *

Korkie gazed at the starfighter in awe, completely unaware of anything except the craft in front of him.

"A beauty, isn't it?"

He turned to find Skywalker standing beside him, smiling fondly at the light craft. "It is."

"It was my Master's, you know. Obi-Wan's, that is, until a few months ago." The exceptionally taller Jedi crossed his arms over his chest, nodding to a Senator who passed by. "Delta-7 light interceptor."

"Aethersprite class, right?"

Skywalker grinned, eyebrows raising in surprise. "You know your ships."

Korkie shrugged. "I wanted to be a pilot when I was younger."

"When you were younger? What changed?"

"I'm the future Duke of Mandalore."

"So?" Skywalker looked a bit confused. "What's that got to do with anything? Dukes fly too, don't they?"

He shook his head and turned away from the exhibit, remembering his aunt's-mother's-words from his childhood. "We don't have time to be pilots."

"Then don't be one. A duke, I mean."

Korkie turned to see if the Jedi was joking, but his face told him he was dead serious. "I can't do that. I have to be a Duke."

"But at what price?" Skywalker walked alongside him comfortably, directing him to the next display, a LAAT/i surrounded by clones. "You'd give up your dreams, everything you care for, to do something simply because you're expected to?"

He gave him a quizzical look, not understanding. "Of course. It was wait I was raised for. It's my duty."

Skywalker scoffed. "Now you sound like my master. Always duty, obligation, what others want. Don't you ever just do what you want?"

Knowing that Skywalker thought he was like his father buoyed him a bit. "Not at the injury of others. There are over a hundred million people whose livelihoods rely on me taking over Mandalore after my aunt retires. I can't give that up."

"What about the girl?"

He glanced back to where Amadi was standing with his mother and the Senator Amidala. "What about her?"

"You're going to be a duke. They'll want you to marry some rich girl from a good family."

Korkie raised an eyebrow. "I'm Mandalorian. We might have a bloody past, but we're romantics at heart. Even with the assumption that I would pursue a relationship with Amadi, I have little doubt the people would support us, even if it's just to rub it in the face of other systems."

Anakin looked surprised. "You don't have a thing for the girl?"

"I like her, if that's what you're asking." Korkie paused to read the plaque on a display, unsure how to continue. _Like_ seemed to tame a word for what he felt, but he wasn't even sure in his mind of what it was, and putting it into words was impossible. "But it doesn't matter. Anything between us is out of the question."

"Why?" The Jedi stopped, brows drawing together. "You like her, and she seems to adore you. What's to stop you?"

He swallowed. "She was a slave. I couldn't… How could I call myself her saviour if I do the exact thing that I tried to take her away from?"

Skywalker laughed. "Kid, that's some screwed up moral system you got there. It's different."

"How?" Korkie demanded. "How could I ever ask anything of her, knowing that she'll feel obligated to me because I rescued her from a life she didn't deserve?"

"Now you really sound like Obi-Wan." Running a hand through sandy blonde hair, Skywalker winked at the Senator Amidala as they passed on the other side of the hall. "Let me tell you something you probably don't know. I was a slave, for most of my life."

Korkie raised his eyebrows. "Actually, I did know that. The Senator-Queen, then, I suppose-rescued you. You supposedly took down the Trade Federation single handedly when they occupied Naboo, right?"

Some of the steam seemed to go out of Skywalker, and he frowned. "Who told you?"

"I saw it on the holonet, a couple days before my sixth birthday." _A couple days before his life had been shattered._ "What about it?"

Skywalker continued, though he still seemed a bit disgruntled that the wind had been taken out of his sails. "I was just saying, you can't worry about that stuff. I might have been a slave, but I sure as hell didn't let anyone make me do what I didn't want to when I was free."

Korkie didn't doubt the truth of that claim, and felt a bit bad for his father.

"Here, kid, let me tell you a little secret that might change the way you see this situation." Skywalker glanced at the Senator Amidala and grinned roguishly, earning a small blush and disapproving glare from the woman. "You see that angel over there? She was my saviour, and I fell in love with her. We've been together for two years now."

Korkie couldn't have been any more surprised if someone told him that there was a war going on. "I see."

"It worked out for us, but only because we saw what we wanted, took it, and didn't give a kriff what anyone else thought."

"But isn't that against the Jedi Code?"

Anakin shrugged. "The Jedi believe that love is a bad thing. I believe that it makes us stronger."

Korkie noted that the man seemed to think of himself and the Jedi as two separate entities. "I thought that it was attachments that the Jedi forbid."

"Same thing, to them." Skywalker scowled a bit, the topic obviously a sour one. "They think that caring about something greater than themselves is the sure path to the darkside."

"Then why would they be fighting in this war? If they truly cared only for themselves, don't you think they would have chosen some other way to go about this?"

Skywalker hesitated, and Korkie could sense that the man was debating whether or not to trust him. "The Jedi…" He stopped, thought, then started again. "I-and certain others-believe the Jedi are beginning to lose their way. I'm not saying they're doing it because they're evil-they have good intentions, I'm sure-but the war has changed them. Originally, the goal was to restore peace, but now, even though the Separatist have come forward with peace treaties, they continue to fight. Not for peace, or harmony, or any of the other things they profess to teach, but instead for power. There is no compromise with them, nothing satisfies but for everyone to believe as they do."

Something about the words sent chills down Korkie's spine. "You believe the Jedi are wrong?"

"I believe that they have noble intentions, but they are blinded by their greed, to the point that they can't see the solution right before them."

"And you do?" He didn't mean for the words to sound like a challenge, but they did.

Skywalker shrugged. "I'm not the only one who has my doubts. There are others, especially in the Senate, who are dissatisfied with the progress we have made. The Chancellor himself has said that they are dragging this on far too long."

"If you were in a position of influence," Korkie said slowly, choosing his words with care, "What would you suggest they do?"

"End this war. The council is content to remain on the defensive and simply fight to keep what ground we have, instead of just going in and taking out the leaders." His jaw clenched, giving Korkie the feeling that this wasn't the first time he'd given this speach. "It's just like the Occupation of Naboo. When they sent the starfighters up to take out the main control ship, everyone's concern was wearing down its defenses. Do you know how we won? By blowing the thing up from the inside. By not being scared to take the heat, and hitting at the heart of the problem."

No doubt a good strategy, but one that even Korkie could see the holes in. The risk could easily outweigh the results, the prospect of winning only a drop in the bucket of loss. He might be willing to give up everything for it, but would others be as willing?

Not to mention… "You speak of dealing with the heart of the issue as if it's easily available. If the answer was such a logical one, wouldn't the Jedi have considered it before?"

"The Jedi-mainly the council-are blinded by obstacles of their own creation. Laws, rules of engagement, the code-all must be followed, even though the enemy doesn't. There are ways to find out things, though perhaps not directly in line with the law, but they refuse to take advantage of them. If they would only… well, what's the use?" Skywalker laughed, a bit bitterly. "What do I know, anyway? I'm just a slave kid from Tatooine."

It was at this point that the others joined them, effectively closing the conversation, but Korkie couldn't help but continue to think about it.

Though Skywalker likely had good intentions, his view of the Jedi and the war was a bit disconcerting. Their discussion had likely only scratched the surface of a much deeper hurt and anger, but what little it had stirred had given Korkie a vaguely familiar feeling that he couldn't place but didn't like at all.

It wasn't until later, when they'd left the museum, that he remembered where he'd felt that cold, dark ache before.

Once, as a little boy, only five years old, looking into the eyes of the red and black zabrak that his father had killed.

* * *

 **Well, hello, hello! What can I say? This chapter all but wrote itself, even if it wasn't exactly how I planned it. There was supposed to be more Padmé and Amadi, but Anakin, as usual, stole the spotlight.**

 **I don't mean to offend anyone by my view of Anakin's mind. I'm not a perfect writer, and I, by no means, am saying that he's an evil guy at heart. I can be a bit critical of characters, and he often gets the brunt of that treatment. Also, this story is supposed to be set towards the end of the clone wars (what timeline?), and I'm a firm believer that Anakin's fall to the darkside was not just an Episode III thing, but a process throughout time.**

 **One more thing. Many of you guys have been requesting Amadi's POV, and I'm going to be frank with you. It's coming, though it may be a couple chapters away. I've been brainstorming on a way to properly introduce her without giving too much away about the plot or making it a bunch of filler. I have a planned scene coming up, but I don't want to squeeze it in where it doesn't belong.**

 **Now that that's out of the way… Thank you all for your love on the last chapter, it really inspired me to make this chapter in such a short time. I love you all!**

 **Crazyman844 (FF): Don't worry, there's plenty more where this came from.**

 **nightsisterkaris (Ao3): Thank you so much! I'm sorry we didn't get to see much of what Obi-Wan thought on the name. But don't worry, he can only bottle up so many things before he has to let it out.**

 **ry1765 (Ao3): Ah, I feel like such a disappointment to you! Nothing in this chapter seems to have gone according to plan… But hopefully the next one will appear with more answers in such a timely manner.**

 **Rachaelizame (Ao3): Man, to differ from everyone's expectations… I feel so bad! Hopefully we'll make more progress with our poor Obi in the next chapter, but he's being stubborn and doesn't want to think about anything, it seems.**

 **Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay (FF): Ah, yes, the horrible Siri Tachi. I honestly don't hate her as much as it may seem, but as she's one of the few other characters that I will tolerate the thought of Obi-Wan having a relationship with, she tends to be the catch-all for the evil-other-woman-plot that I take sick pleasure in creating. But don't worry, she's going to get her due.**

 **AlexaHiwatari98 (Ao3): I agree, Obi-Wan does tend toward denial a bit more than is likely healthy for him. Someday, though, all of this is going to have to come out, and when it does… well, I pity him.**

 **sc4589 (FF): Welcome back! There was definitely some questions, though there's plenty more to come. I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Critetus (Ao3): Ooh, did someone hint at a conversation between our esteemed Jedi and Duchess? That will certainly be an interesting one! I hope that you enjoyed seeing Anakin, though Padmé is remaining elusive as ever. And speaking of good old Palps, I wonder what he's up to?**

 **ii Digestive Reader ii (FF): Honestly, that was one of my favorite lines, I'm glad you liked it. Not many answers in this (are there ever?) but I hope you still enjoyed!**

 **allthepesy (Tumblr): First of all: Thank you so much for reviewing on both chapters, that was so sweet of you! I'm so sorry if I don't answer all of your questions, but don't think that I don't appreciate every one of them! I feel like Korkie is on the receiving end of a lot of junk he didn't ask for, and yet being such a good person about all of it. Obi-Wan is in denial about his entire life, Satine is trying to fix a bucket with a knife, Amadi is just oblivious to the whole thing, Quinlan is trying to help a friend who doesn't want to admit he's got problems, and Siri is busy trying drag the rug out from under everyone that she doesn't realize she's standing on it herself. All in all, a soap opera that has yet to see the worst.**

 **Thank you to everyone, and I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Up next (maybe): Quin and Obi talk, Korkie joins the hunt, and more shenanigans happen.**


	10. Chapter Nine: The Hunt Begins

"You need to get your _shab_ together, Obi-Wan."

What Obi-Wan needed was a drink. "What do you suggest?"

Quinlan snorted. "Stop ignoring your problems and just deal with them."

"I'm too far in, now. I don't even know where to start." His entire life felt like a wasteland of problems he'd blocked out for too long. "I don't even know what way is up anymore."

Sighing, his friend decided to take a bit of pity on him. "First things first. What are you going to do with Siri?"

"I don't know." Despite his best efforts, the misery he felt crept into his voice. "We've been friends since we were younglings. It isn't her fault that I don't care for her…"

"She doesn't love you," Quinlan said shortly. "She loves the idea of loving you, but that's where it ends. She doesn't want you, but doesn't want anyone else to have you even more."

It was probably true, but what did that help? "I don't need a definition, I need a solution. The council refuses to take her off the case unless I can provide reasonable evidence that she makes Satine uncomfortable-something Satine would never admit to, bloody martyr that she is. I could resign from the case, but then no one would be there to act as a buffer between the two of them. Satine is attached to her nephew, and Korkie to the girl, so bringing her here and avoiding the whole business is well nigh impossible unless we're able to separate one of them from the other. Or, we could just go on as we are now, living in a perfect hell."

"Or you could tell Siri in no uncertain terms that there is nothing between the two of you and she needs to stop," Quinlan suggested. "Deal with the root of the problem instead of just lopping off the branches whenever they hit you."

Obi-Wan snorted. "If you must liken Siri to a plant, then let it be one of those that no matter how you chop at it, it never dies. She's stubborn, and doesn't change until one gives her space. Even if I was to confront her-perish the thought-she's not one to be daunted by such measures. Not to mention she has an entire army behind her. Do you know how many toes I'd be stepping on if I tried to talk to her?"

Quinlan raised an eyebrow. "I've never known you to be one who cared about appearances."

"I don't, it's just that…" He stood, pacing the confining space of the living quarters. "Satine never asked for this. All she wanted was a night, and now she's being pulled into a drama that she didn't want. And what's worse-I did nothing to start this, and thus can't do anything to end it. How can I regain control of a situation I never had control of in the first place?"

His friend shrugged, popping a bite of leftover nuna in his mouth. "Well, if you're not going to confront Siri, then I suppose you'd better get your ass over to your Duchess and beg her forgiveness. You're not going to help the situation by pretending it's not happening. If I've learned anything about women, it's that they can take most things that are thrown at them as long as they know it's coming."

Obi-Wan frowned. "Do you even remember what happened last time I went to 'apologize' to her?"

"So she gets a bit amorous when you do something nice. If you don't want to get a good lay-which you desperately need, by the looks of it-then don't hop in bed with her."

"What would you have me do?" It made him feel very much like a padawan again, to be asking _Quinlan Vos_ for advice. On sex, nonetheless. "I told her no."

"And yet you staid."

He huffed. "I may be many things, but unaffected when an amative woman approaches me in nothing but a silk robe is not one of them." _Particularly_ if that woman was Satine. "And I was feeling particularly guilty that evening."

"So you shouldn't have any problem now. And I highly doubt she's going to be walking around in lingerie with her nephew underfoot." Quinlan shrugged. "That's all I got. If you still manage to fall in bed with her, don't come crying to me."

Obi-Wan rose, refilling his cup. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"Good. And now that that is all cleared up…" the Kiffar crossed his arms over his chest. "What the hell is this nonsense with the kid?"

"Korkie?"

" _Ben_."

He'd tried to forget about it. "How am I supposed to know? I wasn't the one who named him."

"Don't you wonder…"

"No, I don't." _He did_. "Satine would never have done that. For my sake, perhaps, but not for his. She's too selfless to do that."

"But doesn't it all seem a bit too…"

"Coincidental?" he finished. "There are no coincidences, Quin, only the will of the Force."

Quinlan swore soundly. "He looks…"

"Red hair is fairly common on Mandalore, and especially in her family. Satine's sister has it, her mother had it, even her cousins had it." He scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling far too old for a man of his years. "You can't go around assuming that every child she brings under her wing is mine. Don't you think there would have been some breath of a rumor if he was my son? Even if not from her loyalists, her enemies would surely have said something."

"But…"

"Drop it, Quinlan. You'll only hurt the boy and Satine by continuing this nonsense." Not to mention perpetuating the odd pain that seemed to have appeared in the vicinity of his heart. "I've already got enough worries, as it is. No need to add a baseless suspicion to it as well."

His friend scowled. "The Council will have questions."

"The Council won't know." He chose to ignore the fact that the Council technically did know, as he was one of them. "They will know that the Duchess has a nephew called Korkie, and even if they hear the name Ben, few in the temple would pin the name to me. You and Siri knew only because I told you, in a lapse of judgement due to an excess of alcohol. For Force sakes, it isn't even my name."

"What isn't your name?" The door opened and Anakin stepped into the room, tossing his robe onto the couch.

Out of habit, Obi-Wan picked up the excessively large piece of fabric and hooked it properly onto the coat rack. "It's nothing, Anakin. Why are you coming back so late? I thought it was just supposed to be lunch."

"We popped on over to the space museum with the Duchess and her nephew." His former apprentice sank down onto the sofa, calling a bottle of water to him with the Force. "That kid needs a lesson in fun. No offense, but the Duchess has sucked all the happiness out of the boy with her expectations. Padmé was right when she said he reminded her of you, though. You know he wanted to be a pilot?"

Obi-Wan ignored the pointed look that Quinlan gave him as he left, shaking his head. "I hadn't, but I'm not entirely surprised. Most people do, before life knocks them over the head with a dose of reality."

Anakin snorted. "I told the kid he sounded like you. Whatever is wrong with becoming a pilot?"

"Becoming a pilot isn't a profession, Anakin, unless you're a smuggler. You can't just cart across the galaxy for the fun of it, especially not for free."

"He's filthy rich. He wouldn't even need to work."

"He's crown prince of Mandalore, of course he has money. But only as long as he remains crown prince." He knew that Anakin's defense was deeply rooted in his own previous desire to be a pilot, among a half dozen other impractical careers. "You can't be upset that the boy understands how the world works, Anakin. One isn't always able to chase their dreams."

"I did, and you see where it got me." There was a hint of smugness in the young man's tone that rankled. "I'm not a slave, I won a podrace, and I'm a Jedi Knight _and_ a pilot."

Obi-Wan was almost surprised he didn't add his affair with the Senator Amidala to his list of accomplishments. "You speak as if you're satisfied with what you have."

Anakin laughed. "Satisfied? Come on Master, I'm just beginning. I've still got a lot of things to do yet."

Even though he didn't say it, that was what he worried about the most.

* * *

"You and Master Skywalker seemed to have gotten along pretty well."

Korkie looked up from his dinner. "He was… interesting."

"Radical, from what I've heard." She raised an eyebrow. "Did you not like him?"

"I didn't dislike him," Korkie said, choosing his words carefully. "But… our views are widely different. He didn't seem like a Jedi."

"In what way?"

"He's very… passionate." It wasn't the word he was looking for, but it would have to do. "And transparent. From what I've seen, the Jedi try to keep what little emotion they have to themselves. Even Master Vos always seems calm and collected, if somewhat loud. Master Skywalker… it's almost as if he's unbalanced."

His mother froze, something changing in her eyes. "Unbalanced?"

He hesitated, not wanting to make too much of a simple feeling. "Maybe that's not the right word. Frustrated. He doesn't like the way the war is turning out."

"No one does." Her eyes searched his face, still seeming somewhat unconvinced. "Did you sense something, Korkie?"

Were his thoughts so apparent? For a moment, he considered telling her about the fleeting chill he had felt from the Jedi, but decided against it. If there was any resemblance between Skywalker and the Zabrak on Naboo, the Jedi would have surely sensed it. As it was, he'd only seen the Zabrak through a holo image; to sense anything would have been physically impossible.

 _Nothing is impossible with the Force_.

He pushed the thought aside as he sensed a presence he'd rapidly become accustomed to approaching. Thank the Force for small favors. "Da-Master Kenobi's here."

His mother paused in pushing her food around and looked out the doorway. "So early?"

If she'd heard his slip up, she didn't comment on it, something that he was grateful for. "We have a long night ahead of us. Best to get a head start." He tossed his napkin onto the table as he rose. Shrugging into his jacket, he dropped a quick kiss on her cheek. "I'll see you when I get back. Don't wait up for me."

"But… you haven't even finished your dinner." He could tell that the Duchess was stalling-she hadn't liked the idea of him going with the Jedi from the beginning, and he could tell that she hadn't warmed to the idea over the past twelve hours. "I'm sure the investigation can wait for you to finish your…"

Dutifully, he stopped long enough to scoop up the last of his vegetables and drain his glass of tea before sprinting out the door. "'Bye, Aunt Satine."

Kenobi was waiting in the speeder, talking with a slightly familiar looking Twi'Lek on his wrist comm. He didn't even bother to look up when Korkie climbed in, ending the conversation as he sped off into the sky.

"Anakin told me you like ships," Kenobi said eventually, breaking the tense silence.

"I do." What was he supposed to say? Korkie realized belatedly that he had no idea how one was supposed to speak to a man who he hadn't known was his father until a few days ago and who didn't even know he was his father. "I used to collect models, when I was younger. My father-" he paused, swallowing when he realized that the man beside him _was_ his father. "My father was a pilot."

Was it just his imagination, or did Kenobi tense? "Do you fly often?"

"Never, actually," he replied ruefully. "I fly the sims at the Academy, but I've only taken a ship out twice in my life. Most cadets get practice flying their family's crafts or such, but as I've only my aunt, and she stays primarily in Sundari, I've never gotten the opportunity to take more than a couple experimental hops when my friends let me."

"They don't let you fly a real ship at the Academy?"

"Not without a license." Something that Korkie coveted dearly. "And you only get that after you've logged four hundred hours on the sims, a semester of mechanics and a semester of computer apps."

Kenobi's eyebrows shot up. "All that on top of your academics?" When Korkie nodded, he made a sound of disbelief. "And the padawans complain that they have it bad."

"What is a padawan, exactly?" Korkie asked, curious. He'd heard the word used as a title, like Master, but never as a noun.

"It's a stage all Jedi go through before becoming Knights. An apprenticeship, of sorts." He must have sensed Korkie's interest in the subject, for he continued. "When an initiate-that is, a Jedi youngling-is about nine or ten, a Master may express a wish to train them. The padawan will then spend the next fifteen or so years with their master, learning everything first hand. Then, they take a test of sorts-the trials-and those that pass go on to become Jedi Knights."

"What about the younglings that don't get chosen?" If masters got to choose their own padawans, there was surely to be some who was left on the sidelines.

"Initiates age out when they turn thirteen, and those that aren't chosen to become padawans are sent to one of the four Service Corps-Agricultural, Medical, Explorational, or Educational-depending on their affinities and abilities." He smiled. "I was chosen to join Agricorps, where we grew crops for those whose systems were unable to."

"You…" Korkie shook his head, not understanding. "How?"

"I had a volatile temper as an Initiate. Still do, if I'm honest. I was hardly the idea of an ideal Jedi, and no master wanted to take a chance on me." His father ran a hand through his hair, just a shade darker than Korkie's. "It wasn't until after I assisted Master Jinn on a mission that he took me as his padawan, a position I took for granted. But that's a story for another time."

Korkie hadn't realized until then that they were nearing the sector of Coruscant where the bar Amadi had been in was located. In the pit of his stomach, a thread of excitement unfurled. The Jedi had explained what they were looking to gain out of this 'experiment', and what he was supposed to do. Though his mother had been very much against it-especially when the Jedi had admitted that there was a threat of injury or even death-there hadn't been a doubt in his mind that this was what he wanted to do.

And it definitely wasn't because this was the closest he would ever get to being a Jedi, unless some sort of miracle occured.

"You sure you're ready for this?"

He flashed what he hoped was a confident smile, for despite the excitement, there was also a hint of trepidation stubbornly remaining in his gut. "Of course I am."

Kenobi's chuckle was one that made it clear he wasn't fooled. "Siri will be there if you need her. She may be a bit prickly, but she never fails to come through in a pinch."

He snorted. A bit prickly? Did the Jedi even see the same person he did?

His father raised an eyebrow. "You may laugh now, but I've known her most of my life. Siri was the same way towards me during our early years as padawans, but she came around eventually." He shook his head. "She doesn't like change, and meeting new people almost always guarantee that."

Was that all it was? "I don't think she likes me."

"Well, the feeling seems to be mutual." Slowly lowering the nondescript and slightly beat up speeder into an empty spot, the Jedi made a soft humming noise. "If it changes anything, she's under the impression that you don't like her either."

He didn't, but he could hardly say that. Instead, he hopped out of the speeder and stretched. The bar was still a couple blocks away, but they could hardly arrive at the same time without appearing suspicious. Even though Kenobi would be in the security room, beside the bar, they didn't want to take any chances.

Adjusting his jacket-the same one he'd worn before-he nodded to the other Jedi as they approached. It was a bit odd, to see them in anything other than their typical Jedi robes, especially his father, but they'd wanted to appear as inconspicuous as possible. That meant very visible blasters and holsters, and tight fitting leather and neoprene. Siri had even added some dark makeup that further enhanced to the sexy-spacer vibe created by the skintight leather jumpsuit she'd donned.

She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. "Nice pants, Oafy."

Kenobi wrinkled his nose, looking down at the leather leggings in distaste. "Talk to Quin. He's the one who found these abominations."

The twi'lek-Aayla?-smirked, looping an arm through his. "I thought we're not supposed to be drawing attention to us? You're going to have everyone in the bar after you."

"Hopefully, I won't have to go in there. We should be inconspicuous enough in the surveillance room." He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it up further. "Siri and Korkie are going to be the ones dealing with advances."

Siri smirked, sashaying over to Korkie and slinging an arm over his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll take care of him."

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. "If you think that inspires confidence, you're sadly mistaken."

She laughed, a pleasant, warm sound that surprised Korkie. Somehow, he hadn't thought she would know how to do anything but sneer. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you the one who was always put on creche duty because you didn't want to work with the team?"

"And you weren't?"

"I volunteered. Basically. I couldn't let you have all the fun, could I?"

"Looking after crechelings is hardly what I would think of as fun."

"It had its good times. Remember Reá? The Nautolan?"

"The one who puked all over me and made me sick for weeks. A true highlight in my life."

"Kor says that she's already studying to take her trials. Remember when we did that?"

"Studied, or took the trials? You didn't do one, and I never did the other, so you'll have to find something else to reminisce about."

Aayla flicked a lekku over her shoulder with an impatient toss of her head at the same time that Korkie sensed Master Vos passing them. "Well, you can do that later. Master's here, so we'd better get moving if we want to get any sleep tonight."

Siri sighed, finally taking her arm from over his shoulders. "Spoilsport." Leaning against the speeder, she checked her wrist chrono. "Do we have everything? Lightsabers?" They each nodded, though where they were keeping such conspicuous weapons in their skintight clothing boggled his mind. "Obes, did you give Korkie a comm?"

His father looked suitably chagrined as he produced a small earpiece and tossed it to him. "Siri will show you how it works. If it turns out that you need it, don't be afraid to ask what's going on."

"Obi-Wan tends to go radio silent when he's concentrating, so we generally use the force to see what's going on," Siri explained. "Because you're here, we'll all be wearing one, but don't be surprised if its a bit quiet when things get intense."

Korkie nodded, remembering belatedly that he _didn't_ have the Force, and thus _couldn't_ join the conversation.

"Now that that's taken care of, lets get moving." Aayla gave them all a no nonsense look. "Stay focused, and may the Force be with you."

* * *

 **Surprise, surprise! What better way to go out of Obitine week that with a new chapter? For those of you who may not have known, I've been posting one shots all week, so be sure to go check those out!**

 **One more announcement for all of you who have been waiting patiently for Amadi's POV. I'm holding a Q &A on my Tumblr for her! You can submit questions in the comments or on my Tumblr, and I'll be compiling them and the answers together in a couple weeks! **

**Thank you for all the darlings who have followed, favorited, subscribed, or left kudos on these works, you guys mean the world to me! I also want to give personal thanks to all of you who left support on my post about Siri, as it really encouraged me to finish this chapter.**

 **ii Digestive Reader ii (FF): Honestly, Anakin and Korkie's scene was one that I debated putting in because my sister (and impromptu beta-reader) hated it. That being said, it made it in there, and I'm happy with all of the feedback that I've been getting from my readers. Aayla was a bit of a surprise to me as well, but she fit so well, especially with her position in all of their lives. And it was about time that someone tried to make him see the light, because Satine's not.**

 **Rachaelizame (Ao3): Thank you so much for your unconditional support! Some of my readers haven't been as happy with my writing, I'm afraid. But if you ever see something in any of my stories that you like, you're free to use it! After all, I'm borrowing from Lucasfilm for nearly everything in them.**

 **nightsisterkaris (Ao3): You're comments are worth just as much as a kudo to me! We'll just have to see, won't we?**

 **AlexHiwatari98 (Ao3): I love your outlook on things, how you can be angry at a character and yet understand that its their faults that make them human. It's one of the things that I strive for when I write; my characters don't always do what is right-and sometimes they even know it-but they're not perfect. Its what makes me like them so much.**

 **Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay (FF): Thank you so much for your opinion! My informal beta really didn't like the scene with Anakin, but I wanted to give it a more accurate portrayal, especially considering that this does occur when he's at one of his most vulnerable states. Aayla does give a good point, though, and one that is going to be important to the plot.**

 **Critetus (Ao3): There really was some truth in Satine's description, wasn't there? Anakin definitely wasn't just-turning-dark in Revenge of the Sith, and I really wanted to bring a hint of that in here. Don't worry, though, for where there is the Dark Side, Palpatine can never be far behind!**

 **CATEFanfGril (Ao3): This comment was far from stupid! It made me smile in the middle of a sad day, and that made it more valuable than anything else. If you didn't know, this past week has been Obitine week, and I've been posting a oneshot about our favorite couple every day. Be sure to go check it out, and also look out for some of my fellow authors story's, as they had some really good pieces as well!**

 **ry1765 (Ao3): Thank you so much! I was a bit wary of putting that scene in there, but I ended up really liking it. It has always been my opinion that the reason the Jedi didn't really see the change in Anakin was because it didn't happen all at once, but over a time period. And just so you know, I always look forward to your comments as well! Thank you for being so faithful!**

 **barelypassing4sane (FF): Thank you!**

 **QkDrO (FF): ;D**

 **Sadguest (FF): I'm really sorry you felt like that. I'm not sure if you're the same person who I spoke to on Tumblr, but I just wanted to say that Siri's part in the story is not what you may think. It may not look like it, but I've given up trying to force my readers to think what they don't want to. Having told you that she does have a motive, however, what do you think it is? :)**

 **sc4589 (FF): Thank you so much! I'm so glad that you're enjoying it, and hope you continue to stick around.**

 **Guest (This is Awkward): Shhhh! You're going to give away spoilers!**

 **Anonymous (FF): Thank you for the criticism! I always love it when my readers tell me when I did somehting wrong, especially since I know that my writing is far from perfect. I'm glad you enjoyed it, though!**

 **NekoChan16 (Ao3): I actually looked it up after reading your comment, but couldn't find it either. DuchessKenobi's fanfiction the Duchess Diaries, she speculated that it was because of his hair (Go check it out on Fanfiction, it's really good). Also, most of them new Obi before the beard.**

 **waffenss14897 (FF): That's a really good idea! I actually have one that I'm getting ready that follows a similar thread, so maybe we'll see that in a couple months!**

 **Wow, that was a lot! Keep it coming guys, I love you all and see you all in a bit!**


	11. Chapter Ten: Conversation at its Best

After a half hour of nothing, Korkie's zeal was beginning to dampen.

From the same seat where he'd been before, he surveyed the small bar calmly, looking for any sign of the twi'lek. Though he had little doubt that he would recognize her presence immediately, it did little harm to double check his surroundings.

On the stage, a togruta was spasming in a way that the crowd seemed to find sensual, but it failed to either catch or hold his interest. He'd been more entertained watching sappy holodramas with his mom, and probably more aroused as well.

He sensed a presence approaching him and turned to find one of the bar girls coming his way with a tumbler of glowing red liquid. She gave him a steamy look, multicolored eyes sizing him up as she set the icy glass in front of him. "From the blonde chick in the jumpsuit."

Korkie glanced at Siri, watching him from across the room with an amused smirk. What the hell did she want?

Fishing a credit chip out of his pocket, he tossed it to the girl and waved her away, not in the mood to continue on with whatever game the Jedi was playing.

A game that she didn't seem quite ready to give up, for a few moments later she sat down across from him, propping her chin on her fists. "Bored yet?"

He favored her with a fleeting glare. "What do you want?"

Siri chuckled softly, leaning back in her seat. "Can't a woman buy a guy a drink if she wants? Or are you another one of those sexist nerf herders?" When he didn't answer, she raised her eyebrows. "If you're not going to drink it, you might as well give it back. I'm not afraid of being poisoned."

"I never said anything about…"

"You were thinking it, and that's the same thing in our world, kid." She tilted her head to the side a bit, small smile making an appearance. "A bit of advice for you. You might as well drop the pretentious act if you want this whole thing to go smoothly. Obi-Wan might be willing to put up with you because of your aunt, but you'll likely make more enemies than friends that way."

He snorted, taking a tentative sip of the freezing liquid. _Not bad_. "I'm sure you'd know all about that."

"I do what I have to do to keep the crew together." There was no malice in her tone, but he could sense the hint of resentment seeping out of a chink in her tightly melded armor. "Look, you don't have to like me. I'm going to do what needs to be done, even if that means a couple of toes get stepped on in the process. If you don't want to be one of them, I'd suggest you step out of the way."

Taking another sip of the drink, he contemplated her thoughtfully. "And how would I do that, exactly?"

"Start playing by the rules. The real world doesn't show favoritism, so don't look for it." She drained the last of her glass, crossing her arms over her chest. "Look, you're young, you're set to become the next Duke of Mandalore, you've got money, I get it. You guys all think that money is the currency of the galaxy, but it isn't."

"Of course not. Power is." He knew that all too well. "You think the reason Mandalore went to total chaos was because of money? The clans didn't want more money, or any at all. What they wanted was to slake their insatiable lust for blood, for some demented sense of honor and glory that they valued more than the life of their own brothers."

Siri watched him carefully, seeming to sense that she'd hit a sensitive spot. "Your father?"

"My entire kriffing clan." He exhaled harshly, trying to diffuse some of the anger bubbling within him. "My aunt and I, we're the last ones. She had a sister who survived the bombings, but only because she was the one to put them there."

There was understanding in Siri's eyes, something that he hadn't imagined he'd ever see. "War is hard on everyone. Your aunt is a good woman for keeping you guys out of it."

"She tries her best. It's not easy, trying to run a system that doesn't always want to be run." He swirled the drink around in its glass, watching how the fiery liquid changed colors when it made contact with a not so icy section. "It's discouraging for her to see the lack of appreciation the people have for what she's done. I think that if it wasn't for us, the next generation who _want_ things to be better, she would have given up by now, let the people do as they want."

Siri frowned, eyebrows furrowing. "And what will you do? When you become duke, that is?"

"She'll still be Duchess, unless she's declared unfit to rule or I have a daughter of my own." He drained the last of the glass and decided that, despite her shortcomings, Siri had good taste in drinks. "During the reconstruction, she set it up so that no one person should to take on all the responsibilities if there are other able bodied people available, and so that the people can vote someone out of office if they aren't taking due consideration. Thankfully, no one has taken such extreme measures yet."

"People always talk a big game, but few will actually act to change it." She raised an eyebrow. "But that wasn't my question, was it?"

He exhaled slowly. "I'm not sure what I would do if I was to become the sole ruler of Mandalore. I'm not as strong as her Grace; she's the way that she is because of her firsthand experience with the war. I've spent almost all of my life in a literal bubble, safe from almost all pain and terror." He glanced back at the stage, where a stick-like creature had begun to sing in a raspy voice. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that I didn't have to be witness to the same things that my aunt did, but I know that I could never have the same passion that has made her dream be realized."

"But you wouldn't change Mandalore's position as a pacifist world?"

"Of course not. My aunt _is_ an idealist, but that doesn't mean what she stands for is wrong. She would rather die than put an innocent in danger, but her shortcoming is forgetting that her life is also valuable. If she were to die, who would there be to step in for the people?"

Siri's eyebrows raised as she beckoned to one of the bargirls and ordered a couple of drinks that he'd never heard of. "You."

That brought him up short. "I… it would be me, wouldn't it?"

"You are the Duke heir, right?"

"Crown Prince, actually."

She laughed. "Had you honestly never realized that?"

Korkie shook his head, feeling somewhat bewildered. "No, never. I always worried that she would do something to get herself killed, but I never thought… I suppose I just assumed that she wouldn't."

"Before the war, I thought the same way about the Jedi. Sure, we had casualties here and there, but it was never someone I knew, not since Master Jinn." Absently, she levitated the salt shaker on the table. "Just at the battle of Geonosis, we lost so many, ones that I would never have guessed would fall. And since… it's hard to truly grasp that a quarter of us are gone, lost to this mindless savagery."

A quarter? Korkie would have never guessed a number remotely close to that. "Why don't you stop? Cut your losses while you're still above water?'

"And do what? Let the Republic collapse?" She shook her head. "The Jedi aren't in this for any sort of personal satisfaction, or even the glory of it. For us to step away would mean to let millions of innocents die. We're supposed to be selfless, willing to give up our lives in order to save others. If we weren't to do it, then who would?"

"So you'll all die, then?"

Siri laughed softly. "Not if we end this war first. We're getting closer to finding the mastermind behind all of this, and when we do, we'll make him pay for all of the atrocities he has committed."

He couldn't stop a small smile as he raised an eyebrow. "I thought Jedi don't believe in revenge."

"We don't." She grinned. "But… we do believe in justice, and this guy is going to get his due."

He accepted the drinks that the girl brought them, sitting back and raising his. "I'll drink to that."

* * *

Satine was half listening to Padmé ramble on about something romantic Anakin had done for her lately, but her mind was far away.

How the hell had her son convinced her that going on a deadly mission with his fool father was a good idea?

Whether it was her meager dinner or the uneasiness about the situation that made her stomach turn and clench, she wasn't sure. For a brief time, she'd been glad to see that Korkie was growing up to be so independent, but she hadn't anticipated at the moment that he'd take it into his head to chase down seasoned slavers.

This was why she hadn't told Obi-Wan he didn't have a son, so he wouldn't get it into his crazy brain to take him on dangerous missions that _he_ even shouldn't be a part of. This was why she'd kept Korkie on Mandalore, so he didn't follow his idiot sense of honor and put himself in danger. This was why she should have listened to Qui-Gon all those years ago, when he'd told her not to get too close to Obi-Wan.

This was why she shouldn't have fallen in love.

"Satine? Are you okay?"

She looked up to find Padmé watching her in concern, brown eyes worried. "You've seemed a bit out of it all day. Is there something going on?"

Satine gave the girl-she was too old to think of Padmé as anything but that-a small smile that she hoped was reassuring. "It's nothing, really. I'm just a bit tired."

"Korkie will be fine." Padmé's tone was gentle, yet firm. "Stop worrying about him. He's already older than either of us were when we began fighting our own wars. And he not only has Obi-Wan, who was present and instrumental during both occasions, but several other Jedi to back him up."

Everything she said was the truth, but it didn't help the irrational fear that something was going to hurt her son. "But the very reason why I fought in the war was so that the _Mando'ade_ wouldn't have to do this. The very fact that he's out there right now is a testament to how badly I've failed him, failed…"

"He chose to get involved in a Jedi investigation despite all that you've done, not because of it. Gods, Satine, you're too hard on yourself."

She was his _mother_ ; it was her job to be to hard on herself. "He's the only family I have, Padmé."

The Senator raised an eyebrow, settling back in her seat. "That's your own choice. You could have had a dozen Jedi babies by now if you weren't so damn stubborn."

"There are two things wrong with that sentence: Jedi and babies. The two don't mix." As she knew personally. "Anyway, Obi-Wan and I were nothing more than a fling."

"Jedi and babies could very well be a thing if you weren't so closed minded. Anakin adores children, and would give me half a dozen in a heartbeat if I let him." Padmé's cheeks flushed prettily. "And flings don't fly halfway across the galaxy to attend a funeral."

"You're husband would cut off his left arm if you asked him to, so children aren't such an unreasonable thought." Anakin would also kill for his wife, something Satine found horrifying, but she didn't mention it. "I didn't come to Obi-Wan's funeral as a fling. We were friends before we briefly shared a bed."

Padmé smirked. "And that's why you cried the entire time you thought he was dead."

Satine sighed, rolling her eyes. "Just because I cared for him didn't mean the feeling was reciprocated."

"He came back and apologized."

"And left with his ex." He'd come back afterwards, but Padmé didn't need anything else to add fuel to her fire.

"A triviality." The Senator accepted the cup of caff that Amadi brought her with a smile. "Anakin agrees that he's pining after you as much as you are him."

"I don't have time to pine." She sipped her tea, happy when her stomach did not revolt at the presence of the warm liquid. "Can't you be one of those people who can enjoy their conjugal bliss without trying to find the same for everyone else?"

"Of course not, which is why I'm here." She turned her brown eyes to Amadi, who had taken a seat a respectable distance away from them. "Ani says that Korkie is quite taken with the girl."

"Did he?" she replied drily. As if the very fact that Amadi was here and Korkie was fifteen thousand credits poorer didn't hint to something more than a vague interest.

"I have to admit, I almost doubted him. He's attentive to her, certainly, but it almost seemed that that was where his interest stopped."

"He's like his father," she murmured softly. "His restraint knows no bounds."

Padmé smiled. "If that was true, then he wouldn't be here, would he?"

She had a point. "I suppose."

"Supposing isn't enough. If he's not careful, the boy is going to spend the rest of his life like you, miserable and alone." Padmé pulled out a datapad and stylus, beginning to sketch. "The girl's clearly sweet on him, but she doesn't seem to be the type to make that clear, so we'll have to do it for her."

"You want to play matchmaker with my _nephew_?"

She hummed, not bothering to look up from her sketch. "I wouldn't call it that. I'm simply planning to give the girl a bit of a helping hand. Firstly, by updating her wardrobe."

"Her wardrobe?" Satine frowned, glancing at the girl. "But he's already bought her a wardrobe."

"You mean that he paid for a wardrobe that _you_ picked out." Padmé clicked her tongue. "You are one of my dearest friends, Satine, but you're terribly old fashioned, and it shows. You've trussed the poor thing up in high necklines and empire waists; something that is flattering for someone of your height and figure, certainly, but us petite people need something a bit… different. Anyway, I've been longing to do some designing…"

Satine raised an eyebrow. "Would this have anything to do with your stepdaughter turning down your offer to redo her wardrobe?"

Padmé scowled. "I blame Anakin for that. He's ruined Ahsoka's tastes for anything remotely girly." She paused in her sketching, looking up. "Amadi, dear, could you stand up for a moment?"

The girl immediately obeyed, a hint of wariness showing in her eyes. Satine hated the fact that someone of her age had to feel cautious, had to worry that something bad might happen. How long had she fought to see that same fearful look erased from the faces of Mandalore's youth? Even now, after so many years of peace, fear was trying to get its oily grip into the minds of the people, keeping them from venturing into the streets for fear of yet another attack by Death Watch. Agitation had already taken some, a small group that demanded she step down in favor of a peaceful existence.

 _Fight._

 _Kill._

 _Overcome._

How had she ever thought she could make a difference?

"Satine?"

Shavit. Being pregnant wreaked havoc on one's concentration. "I'm sorry, Padmé, I wasn't listening."

Her friend smiled reassuringly, rising. "You have a lot on your mind, I understand. I was just thinking of having a glass of wine, and wanted to know if you wanted one."

She did, and dearly so, but she didn't dare risk her baby's life by indulging. "I'll pass. I will take another cup of tea, though."

Padmé appeared to do a double take, frowning. "Are you sure?"

Satine hummed, hoping she didn't sound too suspicious. "Yes. I've been trying to cut back on my alcohol intake for a while."

For a moment, she almost thought Padmé had seen through her feeble excuse, but then the Senator nodded. "Now that I think about it, you haven't been drinking." She smiled. "Good for you, Satine. I know it probably wouldn't hurt me to follow your example, but I doubt I'll do that until I either get out of politics or get myself pregnant, whichever comes first."

She pursed her lips, forcing herself to not deign that statement with a reply. The last thing she needed now was more scrutiny, even if it was from her friend. If everything went well-and she prayed fervently that it did-she would soon be safe back on Mandalore.

And right now, that was all she wanted.

* * *

It was another hour before anything happened.

Siri had gone back to her seat, and Korkie was still sipping on the drink she had left him when he sensed her.

A few seconds later, the comm link in his ear crackled to life, Aayla's voice filtering through. " _Subject spotted entering bar through east entrance."_

The thrill had returned. He surreptitiously scanned the room, even though he knew that the twi'lek was not in sight yet. Siri met his gaze and nodded congenially, but he could see the change in her posture as well. He could sense his father and Aayla in the next building as well, and even Master Vos, who was camping out above the bar across from them. He could also sense the connection between the four, similar to the line he had sensed between Kenobi and Master Vos earlier in structure, but more open. If he concentrated hard enough, he could almost feel what they were thinking, like quiet whispers in his mind.

For now, though, he would stick with the comm.

When Tula finally came into view, she was not alone, much to his dismay. A muscle bound togrutan male towered over her shoulder, silver eyes scanning the room. They stopped when they saw him, and Korkie felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

A few seconds later, the twi'lek sauntered over to where he was, leaving her bodyguard to disappear into the crowds. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Siri abandon her drink and follow the lackey, winking at him before also vanishing into the crush.

And then he was alone.

Tula sat down across from him, lekku wrapped around her shoulders. "Back so soon? I would have thought the chit would have kept you satisfied longer than this."

"Amadi is fine." His answer was shorter than it likely should have been, and he forced himself to relax. "I'm here on the behalf of my mother. She enjoys Amadi's company, and is interested in a companion of her own."

A big smile crossed the woman's face, and she leaned forward confidentially. "Solo said you were interested in something a little classier."

"My mother is high born. She would expect nothing less than what she deserves." If that wasn't the most arrogant thing he'd ever said, he didn't know what was. "She's also understands how valuable anyone of interest might be, and is willing to compensate accordingly."

There was the greedy glint in her eye, the same as it had appeared in Solo's. "I assume that someone as dignified as she would also demand prompt service?"

He nodded. "But discretion is valued more than anything. She moves in elite circles and has a pristine image that she would be loath to destroy."

He could see her mentally calculating how much such a slave could be worth. After some deliberation, the Jedi had agreed that setting the bar-and thus the price-high, they would increase their chances of taking them discreetly.

"I think we might have a girl who we might be willing to part with." She pulled out a comm, standing. "Let me talk to Solo, see what we can work out."

So she was going to pull the old 'talk to the manager'. That was fine with him. He'd already waited this long, he could wait some more.

" _Our lackey has been located and secured."_ Siri's voice came over the comm, and Korkie could tell that she was slightly winded. Had they struggled? " _How's things on your end?"_

He took advantage of Tula's turned back. "She was expecting me. It seems that Solo told her that I'd likely be coming around." Korkie did a brief, subtle scan of the twi'lek's mind. "She's calling him now."

" _Obi-Wan's going to try to lock in on the comm signal_ ," Aayla joined. " _I'm going to hook your comm straight up to mine, kid, so we can monitor the conversation. Any information yet?"_

"No." He didn't dare tell them what he'd picked up from her emotions. "But she's already taken the bait."

" _Good. Master?"_

A short, dry laugh he recognized to be Quinlan's sounded over the line. " _All good on my end. How are you doing, Kenobi?"_

" _He doesn't have his headset on,"_ Aayla cut in. " _One moment."_

There was a moment of static before Korkie heard his father's voice. " _Sorry, I couldn't listen to the comm and this thing at the same time. I've managed to trace his line back to a proxy, but I'm not familiar with the code. Quin, can you decipher this for me? You know these things better than I do."_

" _Finally, you admit it. I'm already locking in on the location. 26… that's definitely Corellia… let me… got it. Give me a moment and I'll have an address for you."_

Corellia. So he had been right. One point for intuition. Or the Force. Whatever it was.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the twi'lek reapproaching, a greedy gleam in her eyes. "He likes you."

Whether she was using flattery or honesty, he wasn't sure. "He's a man of good taste."

Through the comm, he heard Aayla snicker.

Ignoring her, Korkie swallowed the last of his drink. "So you have someone for me?"

Tula almost looked offended. "Of course. And lucky for you, he's only asking twenty."

Five thousand more than what he'd paid for Amadi. "Seems a bit steep."

"She's gentle born, cultured. Knows her place and sticks to it." She pulled out a holo of a female togruta who looked to be near the same age as Amadi. "We call her Geris."

He pretended to inspect the small image, feigning to look for some imaginary imperfection or visible feature. From what he could tell, the girl seemed young, big eyes concentrating on something just off camera. She seemed more slender than most of the togruta's he'd seen, gaunt even, and there was a haunted feel to her face, the look of a witness of an unspeakable horror.

Something in him clenched.

"When can I get her?"

Triumph was the only word for the look on Tula's face. "We've got a load coming in tomorrow night, a bit from here." She pulled out a navchip and tossed it to him. "Midnight. 'E'll be wanting credits."

He took one last look at the girl before tossing a few credits on the table and rising. "I'll be there."

* * *

 **So… I'm not dead. Good to know, huh?**

 **I'm so, so, so, sososososooo sorry that this took so long. I honestly am not sure what happened, but finishing this chapter took a lot longer than I anticipated. Hopefully, I still have readers to follow along on what's happening.**

 **Hopefully-I'm not making any promises, here-the next chapter won't take nearly as long to update. My life's still emulating a train wreck, but I think it's starting to get better, so that's nice. I've also got a more secure storyline planned, so this thing should be picking up some extra speed soon.**

 **But anyway, thank's for all of your support, it really has meant the world for me. It seems that I'm getting notifications from this story everyday, and I'm really grateful that so many of you would take time out of your day to partake of (and enjoy) my brainchild. It means a lot!**

 **Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay (FF): I'm so in agreement about the dreams stuff… They can be nice to have, but sometimes you have to let them go. (Funny thing, my sister actually wants to be an airline pilot as well!) I love reading your reviews so much, simply because you always seem to get so much out of the chapters that others sometimes miss. Thanks so much for reviewing!**

 **nightsisterkaris (Ao3): Thank you so much! I always try to give my characters some depth, and I'm glad that you can see it!**

 **AlexaHiwatari98 (Ao3): Hello! I hope you liked seeing a little bit more of nice Siri (we've got to give her a break sometimes, don't we?). Honestly, though, the Obi-Wan gang is one of my favorite things to write, so I'm happy you enjoyed it.**

 **pixiedream2 (FF): Ooh, has someone had a peek into my mind? Letting go is never easy, but I think most of us learn to get over it.**

 **Guest (Ao3): Hahaha, watch them! No, but seriously, they will meet again soon. It was a scene that was supposed to make it into this chapter, but it was just getting too dang long. :p**

 **ry1765 (Ao3): I hope you enjoyed!**

 **sc4589 (FF): Aw, you're such a sweetheart! Thanks for reminding me to get my tushy up and post this. I hope you enjoyed!**


	12. Chapter Eleven: Indecision and Decision

Obi-Wan wasn't someone who wondered. He didn't look back, he didn't wish, he didn't hope, but most of all, he didn't wonder. Wondering was dangerous. Wondering led to considering the past, and considering the past led to regret, which was a product of attachment. Attachments were dangerous, distracting, dishabilitating. Yes, it might feel nice in the moment, but that moment would have to end.

He remembered the argument he'd had with Anakin only a few weeks before, same as they'd often waged. It wasn't the act of loving or having or wanting that was the problem, but the selfishness of it. Jedi were supposed to be selfless, ready to sacrifice themselves at a moment's notice for anyone, something that was only made more difficult when there was something or someone that you would have to leave behind. No sane being desired to lose their life, and fewer would ask that of someone they cared about.

He'd done it, once. He'd let the world think that he was dead, all for the sake of a mission. Many had called him and the counsel selfish, saying that they'd lost their humanity by placing him and those around him in such a precarious position. Though he knew that it had been the best way, the thought that someone else could have done it with less ramifications was troubling. He'd hurt people, people he cared about and in return cared about him, and the guilt wasn't something he was sure he could ever recover from.

Others, ones who had been less careless, more guarded, had done it before him with no ill effects. It wasn't bad until emotions-attachments-were involved. That was where things got messy.

Thus, he didn't wonder.

But sometimes, he wished he did.

Obi-Wan watched Satine embrace her nephew as he slowly climbed out of the speeder, trying not to intrude on the moment. For a brief moment, he saw a glimpse of what his life might have been in a parallel universe, but it was gone before he could even examine it.

It was probably better that way.

He couldn't stop a smile when Satine began to check Korkie over for possible injuries, the boy trying to squirm out of his aunt's reach. The two were close, closer than he had expected them to be, considering Satine's generally disaffectionate nature.

Korkie was just about to pull away when Satine paused in her examination and frowned, and Obi-Wan winced when she boxed him soundly on the ear. "You've been drinking?"

The boy flinched, rubbing his ear uncomfortably. "Just a little. Siri bought me a…"

"She did _what?_ " She turned to him, eyes flashing. "I'm beginning to wonder about the legitimacy of this mission. Surely even you wouldn't condone drinking on a mission?"

He didn't care for the insinuation that she hid in the sentence, but put it aside. "There's nothing more suspicious than not drinking at a bar, Satine, surely you know that. None of us are lightweights, so we don't generally object to having a drink or two."

"He's not one of you."

Obi-Wan shrugged. "He shouldn't have drunk it, then."

"She shouldn't have given it to him in the first place."

"She didn't force me, aunt." Korkie seemed to shrink slightly under his Satine's withering glare, but Obi-Wan admired him for standing his ground. "In fact, she offered to take it back if I didn't want it."

Satine paused, exhaling deeply. "Of course, where are my manners. Obi-Wan, can I get you something to drink?"

Bloody hell. It never bode well when she switched topics that fast. "Actually, I probably should be going…"

"Tea it is." Ignoring his protests, she glided into the kitchen, turning the heater on. "Korkie, go to your room."

"But…"

She didn't even bother to let him finish. "Obi-Wan and I have some things to discuss."

He was about to protest the notion, but her glare was enough to make him bite his tongue. So she wanted to talk. That was good, right? Wasn't that his plan for tonight, as it was?

Korkie sighed, offering a slight bow. "Good night, Master."

"Good night." Pulling a chair out, Obi-Wan sat down at the island, watching Satine deftly fix two steaming mugs of tea. It wasn't until they both heard the door to the boy's room close that she spoke.

"What do you want?"

He frowned. "What?"

She glared at him. "You want something, otherwise you wouldn't have staid."

"I stayed because you wanted to talk to me."

"You could have just dropped him off and left, yet you didn't, meaning that you want something from me."

Her reasoning was correct-as it usually was-and it rankled. "I… I wanted to apologize."

There was no visible reaction to the words, but he could tell that she was surprised nonetheless. "Apologize? For what?"

That was a good question. "This… entire thing. The mission. Siri. Faking my death. The last sixteen, seventeen years."

"Eighteen," she corrected evenly, still not meeting his gaze. "And you still haven't answered my question. What exactly are you apologizing for? And why now?"

"I felt it was time." That was a lie. He never felt it was time. Qui-Gon had often criticized him for not focusing on-ignoring was likely a better word-the present, the here and now. "Last time… I didn't handle it well."

He was very close to not handling this well, what with the way he kept catching glimpses of her cleavage flashing him from above the silk of her nightgown. Force, but he could have sworn that she'd filled out, and it was kriffing with what few brain cells he possessed.

She appeared to inspect her tea. "You regret it?"

He couldn't stop himself from quirking a smile. "Would you be offended if I said no?"

"Less than if you said yes."

"I could never regret you, Satine. You know that as well as I do." Though he could regret his actions, even if he endeavoured not to. "I'm not apologizing for what happened. It was a moment of mutual enjoyment for the both of us. A reprieve." He hated how shallow that sounded, but 'twas the sad truth. "But I didn't come for a tryst. I came to apologize, for both Siri's behaviour and mine."

"I know what you came for." There was a hint of anger in her tone, something that was far too familiar for his liking, damn it. "Do you think that I'm that easy? That I would let you into my bed without recognizing your bumbling attempts at reconciliation?"

Kriff. "I never said…"

"You didn't have to." She finally met his gaze, clear blue eyes filled with more emotion than he'd thought possible. "You don't have to apologize to me, Obi-Wan, for events that you have limited control over and I am partially liable for. Nothing that has happened to me on your behalf has not been wholly unjustified."

"But I am still partially responsible," he argued. "For instance, the way Siri has been…"

"Siri's a jilted woman. She believes that she has lost the man she loved to a woman whose values are a stark contrast to her own. Can you blame her for lashing out?" There was a brief flash of vulnerability in her eyes, but she looked away before he could decipher it. "I'm not saying that she has been behaving with the utmost decorum, but I do understand where she's coming from. Do you think I've never done the same?"

It was biased, he knew, but the thought of Satine being jealous stroked some perverted sense of manly pride within him. "I could have said something to her."

She didn't have an answer for that, setting her mug down and going to a cabinet. "Cookie?"

It was with great effort that he kept his gaze from resting on her silk-clad body. She _had_ filled out, no doubt about it. "A biscuit, but yes."

She rolled her eyes, pulling out a jar of ginger biscuits and setting it down between them. "You look tired."

He was tired, because any effort of sleep was either plagued by guilt or images of her. Occasionally even both. "I haven't gotten a full nights worth of sleep since this mission has begun, and I'm not suited to napping during the day."

"You don't have to feel guilty about what happened, Obi-Wan."

He froze. "Who said I felt guilty?"

"As if it isn't written all over your face." Her eyes were soft, enticingly so. "It's the same look you had after Qui-Gon died."

Now that she said it, Obi-Wan realized why the feeling was so familiar. "I took advantage of you."

Some of the light went out of her eyes. "You do regret it."

They were going in circles. He rose, rounding the counter to break down some of the barriers. "If you're asking whether or not I regret joining you in your bed, then the answer is no." She didn't move as he settled his hands on her waist, inhaling the floral scent of her hair appreciatively. "If you're asking whether or not I regret leaving, then the answer is yes."

Fear warred with desire and longing as she pulled away ever so slightly. "I didn't ask you to."

Force, but she smelled wonderful. "You shouldn't have to." He hated the fact that shouldn't didn't quite mean don't. "Why should it be up to you to choose my fate?"

"Because I'm the sensible one." Her voice wavered slightly, and Obi-Wan had the horrifying feeling that she was close to tears. "Can you even imagine where we might be if you made the decisions?"

Obi-Wan didn't wonder.

That didn't mean he w as without an imagination. "Strangely enough, I can."

Her eyes widened in ill-concealed alarm, and she stepped back quickly, wrapping her arms around her waist defensively. "I think you should go."

The sudden change in her demeanor was like a bucket of ice water. Shavit. What had he done? "Satine…"

"Please, Obi-Wan. I'm tired." She was back to avoiding eye contact, straightening up the kitchen space. "I don't want to talk anymore. There isn't anything _to_ talk about anymore. Please."

There was something more, something that lurked just beneath the surface, but she looked so small, so defeated that any desire to find out more evaporated.

Sighing, he stepped forward and kissed her on the forehead, wincing when he felt her flinch at the contact. "Korkie's part in the investigation should be finished tomorrow or the day after, and we'll be out of your hair."

* * *

He was being watched.

Korkie took a sip of his drink-non-alcoholic this time-and glanced about the room. Once again, Siri had been planted at the bar, though he could tell that she was much more tense this time. In fact, the entire network between the Jedi seemed fraught with anticipatory tension; they'd only just found out that someone matching Solo's description had been spotted outside the bar a few minutes before they'd arrived.

And now he sensed him.

He wanted to alert the others, tell them that the smuggler was there, but there was no way to do so without giving himself away. It was selfish, he knew, to withhold valuable information from his team in the name of self-preservation, but reasoning suggested that an ill-timed announcement would likely be even more unwelcome than not telling them that Solo was in the building.

So, he said nothing, continuing to sip his drink. Solo would make his appearance soon enough, and that was all that mattered. As it was, it was doubtful that the smuggler would bring the girl-Geris-along with him, so alerting the Jedi would be of little importance.

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as the slaver approached him from behind. It was a deliberate action, an approach to catch him off guard, but here he had the advantage. "Solo. I was expecting your… assistant."

Korkie could sense the surprise from the smuggler, but the man did an admirable job of hiding it as he took the seat across from him. "I happened to be in town, so I decided to meet you direct."

Of course he had. He waved down one of the barmaids and tossed her a few credits. "Two whiskeys. Avalian, if you have it. Keep the change."

The togruta eyed the credit chips hungrily before offering him a wink and sauntering off, hips swaying.

Solo watched the girl walk off, before turning his attention back on Korkie. "You bring cash?"

"I did. I presume you're not holding her here?"

"Not far. I'll have her meet you a couple blocks down." The smuggler eyed him cautiously, and Korkie could tell that he still wasn't completely comfortable. "But you can pay me now."

Korkie paused, scanning the man's mind. He was on edge-why, he wasn't sure-but he seemed to be honest. As far as he could tell, Solo had no intention of stiffing him, but there was still something… something that he didn't trust. "I like to see my purchases before paying for them."

That didn't seem to sit well with the smuggler. His eyes darted around the bar, as if he was looking for something. "I don't have time to linger."

Briefly, Korkie made eye contact with Siri, who offered a quick nod in understanding. It was time to make their move.

"Well, I suppose we'd better get moving, shouldn't we?"

* * *

 **Hello, all! I know, I know, this is almost a week late, but I've finally made it back home and that means I'm no longer on call as a babysitter. However, my last semester starts in a few days, but I'm hoping this one will be a little more tame than the others.**

 **Well, I think we're finally seeing some progress! I know this chapter isn't very long, but I felt that I was at a good stopping place and didn't want to make you guys wait any longer.**

 **Thank you for all the support you've been sending, it's been amazing, both for this fic and the others.**

 **ii Digestive Reader ii (FF): Thank you so much! Your support has been really appreciated on this story, and I'm glad to see that you're still enjoying it.**

 **barelypassing4sane (FF): Even though I tend to write her as bristly, I do love Siri and her character. She's a very devoted person, both with her friends and her ideals, and I like bringing out that side of her.**

 **Rachaelizame (Ao3): I wish I had written this in a way that would have given us a bit more of a look-see into the Jedi Gang's life and antics, as I really do enjoy writing them. And Korkie… he's too pure for his own good. Let's just hope that doesn't come back to smack him in the face, aye?**

 **.L (FF): Absolutely! I'm hoping (promises are no good with me) that we'll have a few moments in the next few chapeters, if everything pans out the way I'm wishing it to go. Glad you're still enjoying!**

 **Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay (FF): Lol, I love that "oh wait, he did that". I think one of the biggest difficulties people have when writing Anakin is that many deny what is clearly apart of him. I'm not saying he's evil, just that he has a tendency to darkness.**

 **AlexaHiwatari98 (Ao3): Yes!**

 **sc4589 (FF): Thank you! Padmé and Satine are two very different characters, and I think that is why they get along so well.**

 **Thanks for all the lovely comments, kudos, follows, favorites, subs, etc, etc. Nothing makes me happier than looking in my inbox and seeing a new email from Ao3 or fanfiction! Love you all, and see you in (hopefully) not too long!**


	13. Chapter Twelve: Breakthroughs

It took them all of ten minutes to reach the seemingly inconspicuous spaceport that Solo was operating out of.

Strangely enough, the smuggler hadn't even bothered to pick an out of the way place to conclude his dealings. The spaceport bustled with activity, not all of which Korkie was sure was legal. Food vendors crowded in next to the used wares hawkers, their voices drowning each other out in an unintelligible din.

In a way, he could see the benefit of keeping slaves here; after all, where better to hide something than in plain sight? No doubt they were able to blend in with the natives, just as they were able to at sleazy bars under the guise of an entertainment company.

It was revolting, truly.

But morality was hardly the reason he was here. He'd made sure to keep careful tabs on the Jedi as Solo ushered him through the crowd, as he'd lost his comm only a few minutes in. His father had fallen behind some time ago, and he didn't know the others well enough to discern them in a crowd, but there was one person whose presence had been unwaveringly consistent.

Siri.

Even then, he could sense her only a few steps behind them, as locked onto his presence as he was to hers. Though he would have never guessed it, it was a bit of a comfort to know that he wasn't truly alone.

 _You're not alone._

He nearly tripped, the voice in the back of his mind catching him off guard. What the hell had that been?

Ahead of him, Solo came to a stop in front of a ship that looked like it had seen better days. Much better days. "And here we are."

Tula rounded the rusting hunk of metal, lips curling up in a smile when she saw him. She said something to Solo in a language she didn't understand, but he got the impression that she was surprised. The two conversed for a moment, Solo's eyes twitching about the crowd uneasily. Korkie didn't like it, the sense of suspicion the man seemed to have adopted about the transaction. People were usually suspicious for a reason, and those reasons rarely tended to be good.

Finally, though, Tula ascended the ramp into the ship before coming back out with the girl.

Geris.

Even if one didn't count her montrals, she was as tall-if not taller-than he, her scantily clad body almost painfully thin. Her shoulders slumped, her gaze defeated. She didn't react when Solo roughly pulled her to him, uttering a sharp reprimand, eyes glued to the ground. There were hints that she'd been dressed up to look the part of a much more sophisticated lady; her hair was braided into a small mound on the top of her head, the thin, nearly transparent dress made out of a fabric that might have once been silk. Yet, to an educated eye, she looked much like a girl caught playing dress up in her mother's clothes.

Speaking of mothers, his was going to kill him when he brought her home.

"I'll take her."

Solo's eyes lit at the exact same moment that he saw Siri dodge past them and slip into the ship. "Good, good. Then…?"

Of course. Korkie took his time taking out the small bag that contained what was left of his savings. It was less than half of what was promised, but it should buy them just enough time. If the Jedi decided to blame him for anything that happened, he would make sure to remind them to bring the money next time, stingy bastards.

The smuggler took the pouch reverently, weighing it in his hand before opening it to peek at the contents. Then, he stepped over to a small table and began to count out the chips.

It was all the distraction they needed.

The ship rumbled and coughed to life, jarring Korkie into action.

Scooping up Geris, he made a dash for the ramp, ignoring the outraged shouts behind him. A pair of blaster bolts flew past him, hitting the side of the ship and leaving small burn marks in their absence. A third grazed his leg, causing him to stumble and Geris to cling to him more tightly. Even as pain clouded his vision-damn, the practice bolts hadn't near prepared him for this-he could see the ramp began to close as the ship made a laborious effort to take off amidst the chaos.

He gritted his teeth, trying to remember his mother's words.

 _Focus. Use your senses._

 _Use the Force._

Korkie nearly stumbled. _That_ wasn't his mother. _That_ was someone else, and he wasn't sure if he liked it.

Still, the suggestion had some merit. He'd seen Jedi complete unnatural feats with the aid of their Force, and it wasn't as if he'd never practiced himself. He may not have trained to be a Jedi, but he had trained to be a Mandalorian and that had to count for something, right?

Summoning all the remaining strength in his body and ignoring the pain from the blaster burn, Korkie made one last sprint, launching himself into the air at the last second.

He hit the edge of the ramp far too hard, though he managed to throw Geris clear of him just in time. In more pain than he had ever been in, Korkie struggled to his feet and pulled himself into the ship only seconds before the ramp closed with a hiss and a clank.

 _He'd made it_.

If his ribs would have permitted him, he would have done a victory dance right then and there, but as it was, he heard Siri cry out from the cockpit. Seeing that Geris seemed predominantly sound, if a little shaken and winded, he made his way to the front of the ship, where Siri was wrestling with the controls.

When she saw him, her eyes lit and a small smile curled up the corner of her lips. "You made it."

"No thanks to you." He slid into the co-pilot's seat, quickly enabling the stabilizers and reverse thrusters. "Don't you know how to fly?"

"Not this hunk of metal. I like to be on the ground-your dad's the one who handles the ships."

His hand faltered, heartbeat suddenly drowning out the other sounds around them. "My…"

"I don't know who you and her Grace thought you were fooling. Of course, Obi-Wan's a big idiot who ignores the truth until it kicks him in the ass, but its plain as day to anyone who cares to see it." She laughed softly. "You're a lot like him, you know."

"Does anyone else know?" He kept his eyes on the controls, stomach churning.

"I'm pretty sure Quinlan knows, or at least suspects. Kit-you probably don't remember him-is a little suspicious, but he doesn't like to butt his head into others affairs. As far as I know, the rest don't have a clue." She glanced at him briefly. "I'm interested, though. At the beginning, you were a very good liar. Even I believed you about the whole robe thing. But last night, when we were talking-you just seemed to drop your guard completely."

He smiled, but just barely. "I didn't know. Her Grace… we've not been close since she sent me away to school, so I never knew about my father. Until a few days ago, I legitimately thought that I was her nephew, and her brother was my father."

"Bitch."

Korkie shrugged. "She didn't want to force him into something he didn't want. Before I was old enough to keep a secret, the Naboo invasion happened and she thought I was in danger. So she sent me away until the Sith was caught."

He could sense her defenses go up. "What do you know about the Sith?"

"Only as much as they are mentioned in Mandalorian history. They're evil and enemies of the Jedi, even though they use the same Force. The zabrak that killed Qui-Gon Jinn is thought to be one of them."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Let's say you're telling me the truth. Maul was killed on Naboo."

"Sith are always in pairs."

"So why are you here, then? I can't imagine you're done with school and I highly doubt Her Grace would think it a good idea to bring her son into the epicenter of evil and Jedi."

The corner of his mouth tugged up in a small smile. "I suppose it was time."

* * *

Amadi had the distinct feeling that Padmé's "daughter" didn't like her.

The togruta hadn't seemed too thrilled to be introduced to her in the first place, but going on a shopping trip with her and the Senator was clearly far from the first thing on her list of things to do. It made Amadi feel quite bad, for Padmé had asked the girl along specifically to make her more comfortable. Not that it was necessary, for Amadi had been quite content to be alone.

But she wasn't doing this for her-she was doing this for Korkie.

The small, selfish piece inside of her had jumped at the chance to go shopping with the senator. Though she did really like the Duchess and appreciate everything she'd done to help her, the tiny girl within had been a little disappointed in the clothing that she'd gotten for her. Though the clothes were of a much better material than any she'd ever been allowed to wear, the formless shifts had made her wonder if "her Grace" was trying to send her a message.

She knew that Korkie was far above her level-the very fact that he'd bought her was testament to that. But hadn't one of the girls told her that? That being sold to a house was the greatest achievement a slave could garner? Good food, easy work, nice clothes…

It was as perfect of a life that a slave could imagine.

And Ben…

They'd noticed him the first night. He was younger than most of their onlookers, but almost assuredly more well to do. Nana, the oldest of the four of them, had been the first to suggest him as a possible buyer, and the notion had quickly caught on. He'd seemed kind enough, sitting in the same booth every night and nursing a single glass of whiskey. He'd garnered glowing reviews from the barmaids, and Ti had been able to speak of nothing else when he rejected her offer for a lapdance but paid her anyway.

Amadi wondered if they knew. It had been a big deal when he'd paid for a night with her, and though his sterling reputation had been a little tarnished, the other girl's had been adamant that he was the best man for the job, seeing that it was the first time she would be out.

Perhaps it would have been nice, if Dierck hadn't stormed in and demanded that they leave. It wasn't a surprise-whispers about Jedi had been going around, a sure sign that their time in a place was limited. It also meant that at least one, if not all of them were due for a beating, if only to soothe Dierck's wounded ego.

Then had come the credits. Fifteen thousand of them, to be exact.

She couldn't even begin to comprehend what that much money must look like. It was an enormous amount of money, even for a slave. Yet, he hadn't even batted an eye.

 _Valuable_. It was nice to be thought about in such a way, and it would be even nicer to look the part.

Amadi looked out over the Coruscant skyline, dark but spangled with millions of lights. The air, cool and untainted tugged at her hair, twisted into some sort of ornate bun at the base of her neck by the Duchess. It was a far cry from anything she'd ever known, but she couldn't say that she minded it too much.

In the seat across from her, Senator Amidala glanced at her wrist comm, releasing a sigh. She said something to Ahsoka, but the only words Amadi caught was "work" and "office". She did resent the slavers for not letting her learn Basic. It was understandable, of course, but it was aggravating to be surrounded by conversation and not be able to comprehend what any of it meant. She would learn, though. It might take time, but she would learn.

* * *

Satine hurried through the Senate halls, cursing the day she ever thought it was anything other than a bad idea to bring Korkie to Coruscant.

She wasn't made to be a mother. Being a mother was stressful, and tiring, and worrisome, and somehow so much worse than being Duchess of Mandalore, as troubling and difficult as that was. Perhaps it was because she didn't have to kriffing worry that her entire population needed to be put on bedrest because they'd bruised half of their karking ribs in a raid.

Almost unconsciously, she pressed a palm to her stomach. Perhaps Korkie's idea had some merit. She was the farthest thing from a capable mother and now was hardly the time to learn such things. A grand-niece or nephew would give her all of the benefits of a child with none of the stress that came with raising it. He would be the father she'd always longed for, and Amadi-if she stayed-would no doubt prove to be a better mother than Satine could ever hoped to be.

But to give up the fruit of her womb, even to her son? It was too cruel of an action to even contemplate at such an early stage. For now, she could practice her far too rusty parenting skills and hope that she improved.

And that started with making sure her son was safe.

By the time she'd made it to the parking bay, where the Jedi had brought the slaver's ship, the scene was already surrounded by a crowd, held back only by a small group of clone troopers and temporary boundaries. The media was the most prevalent group, taking holos and calling for statements from all those on the scene, but there was a healthy mix of politicians straining against the ropes as well. Medics rushed about the enclosed area, tending to both Jedi and a group of a few dozen scantily clad and underfed girls who Satine could only imagine to be rescued slaves. And there, in the midst of it all, a curious look on his face and a medic bent over him, was her son.

Thankfully, the troopers didn't object when she pushed through the barrier, but she forced herself to remain composed as she crossed the small area that separated the crowd from the stretcher that Korkie was upon. The last thing any of them needed was for the media to misconstrue a seemingly innocent meeting.

When his eyes met hers, he smiled. "You came."

She laughed softly. "What did you expect? You are my _agol_ , my _aliit_."

"I thought you would be mad."

"I am, and no doubt I will be moreso when I hear the full story of your shenanigans, but that can wait. Are you in a lot of pain?"

He shook his head but winced. "Only when I move. They gave me something for the pain a little bit ago."

"Viol, your Grace," the medic supplied, "we usually only use it for Jedi, but one of the Masters had it cleared for him. I'll send you home with a small bit, but he should be fine in a few days. He's remarkably strong and resilient, and I'm sure he'll be all healed up and back on his feet in no time."

She offered the medic a grateful smile. "Thank you. If there's ever something that I can help you with, please don't hesitate to give me a call."

The girl-she hardly looked old enough to be a trained medic-blinked in surprise and flushed a little. "Just doing my job, your Grace, but I appreciate your kindness."

"Korkie."

Satine looked up to see Siri approaching them. "Master Tachi."

Siri nodded coolly. "Your Grace. Your nephew has been an invaluable asset to this investigation."

"Is it over then?"

"Practically. Obi-Wan's team managed to apprehend the slaver and we've captured a wealth of data in the ship's manifest, so it likely won't be long before everything's wrapped up." She rubbed her arm, tightly wrapped and secured to her side. "Until then, we'll likely just try to get these girls someplace safe."

Korkie sat up suddenly, cursing under his breath. "Where's Geris?"

"She's with the others, none the worse for the ordeal."

Satine eyed her son suspiciously. "Who's Geris?"

He flushed. "You've been saying that Mandalore could use a population boost…"

She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Korkie, I swear…"

"Why don't we get you guys home?" Siri interrupted. "Duchess, we have a vehicle waiting for you."

"Thank you, but I…"

"Good. I'll escort you home."

* * *

 **It's been a long time coming, but it's here! I'm sorry for the wait, but… life happens? As those of you who followed my Tumblr might know, I made a decision to leave the fanfiction community in the capacity of a writer (at least temporarily), but I do want to finish my ongoing stories before I leave. Good news: only a few more chapters before we're done!**

 **And now for all of my dear reviewers/commenters:**

 **pixiedream2 (FF): Well, Korkie's an idiot. But at least he's a sweet idiot, huh? Also… that saying is hilarious and I literally spent about a half hour laughing about it.**

 **Mafersstar (FF): Thank you so much for following! I'm sorry you've had to wait so long, but I hope it was worth it. And I can't wait either!**

 **Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay (FF): Everyone's human, and that's one of the greatest things that I try to show in my writing, because perfect people are boring. And poor Obi-he's so lost in this whole mess.**

 **Magma Fist (FF): Thanks so much! I hope you're still following along!**

 **sc4589 (FF): Thanks! I'm so glad to have had you along for this time, and hope you enjoyed!**

 **AlexaHiwatari98 (Ao3): Lol, he is. Not to long, now!**

 **Once again, thank you all for sticking around! I'm so sorry to all my guest readers, I hope you find this eventually!**


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Jedi, Jedi, and Jedi

"Your son's a lot like his father."

Satine did her best not to react as she poured herself a cup of tea. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Of course you are." Siri took a seat at the island, calling a piece of fruit to her hand. "I have to applaud you. You've done an excellent job of raising him, considering the circumstances."

"I didn't raise Korkie, much as I would have loved to. How did you find out?"

Siri shrugged, using the fruit as a yoyo. "It wasn't too hard to figure out. The hair, the attitude, the dimple, the Force… I confronted him and he caved. He's a good kid, but not a very great liar."

Satine took a sip of her tea and sighed. "I'm afraid he gets that from me. Ironically, I never saw the reason to cultivate such a treacherous habit until I had him."

"That's the part that I don't understand. Why would you make such an elaborate scheme? Surely Mandalorians don't hate Jedi so much that you'd have been deposed if they found out."

"That was one of the last things to influence my decision. No doubt the people wouldn't have welcomed the idea with welcome arms, but I still had a living even if my rule ended." She sighed. "No, I chose to take him on as my nephew because it was the only way that I thought I could have him near me without raising Obi-Wan's suspicion."

Siri raised an eyebrow. "Why did that matter? I thought the two of you parted on good terms. He wouldn't have been angry."

"Of course he wouldn't have, and that's the problem." Satine ran a weary hand over her face. "He wanted me to ask him to stay, but I wouldn't. Even then, I knew that he had so much potential, he was destined for something greater than a child duchess struggling to rule a war-torn system. If he wanted to throw away his future, fine, but I wouldn't be the one to ask it of him."

The Jedi's eyes were unreadable. "You didn't know."

Satine shook her head. "I found out about a month after he left. I didn't even consider the fact that Korkie might be force sensitive until he was born-Mandalorians rarely are, after all."

"How did you find out?"

"Same as most people, I suppose. I had the droid run a test and it came back positive."

Siri's brow furrowed in confusion. "And you didn't send him to the temple?"

She raised an eyebrow. "He was my son-the only piece I had of the man I'd loved. You may think I'm completely selfless, Master Tachi, but I'm a mother before all things, and a woman second."

"Interesting that Duchess isn't ahead of those things."

"Perhaps it was at one time, but priorities have a way of shifting."

Siri seemed to scrutinize her expression. "Not without reason, they don't. Tell me, Duchess, what's your reason? Why are you here now? Even Korkie admitted that you hadn't told him the truth before now, so you must have had a reason. But there's something more than that, isn't there?"

Satine felt her heart grow cold, her pulse growing loud in her ears. Quickly, she moved around the counter, trying to put as much space as possible between herself and the Jedi. "I don't know what you mean."

"You're scared, but that's not new. It's been there since day one, hasn't it? You weren't this way after Obi-Wan died, so it must have happened since then." Siri's gaze grew hazy, her eyes darkening. "There's a rope, so smooth and thick-dark and light wrapped into one. But now its fraying, thread by thread-"

A low throb had begun in her temples, causing Satine to recoil. "Get out of my head, _jetii_."

Siri seemed to snap out of whatever trance she'd gone into. "Look, we both want the same thing, but I can't help you if I don't know what the problem is."

"I don't need your help," Satine hissed.

"Of course you don't. When have you ever needed anyone?" Siri leaned forward, steepling her fingers. "You do know it isn't a sin to accept help from others, don't you?"

"What are you? My psychiatrist?"

"Psychologist, actually." Siri smirked. "Would you like to see my verification as well, Duchess?"

Satine stared at her, taken aback. "You're not serious."

Siri pulled a card out of her jumpsuit-Satine had no idea where from-and slid it across the countertop. "Every Jedi has a specialty. I chose to make mine digging around in people's heads."

Suddenly, everything made a lot more sense. Satine also felt a lot more uneasy, subconsciously tightening her mental shields. "I think it's better if you go."

"She can help us."

They both turned to see Korkie in the doorway, wincing in pain. Satine growled under her breath, striding across the kitchen. "What the hell are you doing out of bed? Just because you play hero with the Jedi doesn't mean that you're invincible."

He waved her off. "I'm fine. I want to talk to Siri."

" _Master Tachi_ is leaving and you're going back to bed." As gently as she could, she nudged hin back in the direction of his room. "I don't want to hurt you, but so help me I'll knock you out myself if it means keeping you safe."

He raised his chin defiantly. "Will you let her stay if I lie down?"

"No. Shrinks aren't welcome in this house."

"Fine. I'll talk to her on the patio," he retorted, limping past her.

"Korkie…"

Siri stood. "I think the Duchess has made herself quite clear. As it is, she's right-you're injured, and need to rest. We'll talk in the morning. Or…" She called the card back to her hand and gave it to him. "Feel free to come by the Temple. You can comm me first, but I rarely go out."

Korkie gave his mother a smug look. "I'll do that. Good night, Master Jedi."

Satine could only watch helplessly as the Jedi sashayed out the door, leaving her feeling drained. The day had been far too long, and she had a feeling it wasn't even over yet.

"You didn't have to run her off."

She released a sigh as she met her son's stony gaze. "I don't need help, and especially not from her."

He snorted. "Right. I'll try to remember that in six months."

* * *

The Jedi Temple was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen.

Korkie gaped at the sheer size of the building, easily the largest he'd ever been in. Dozens of Jedi were dispersed throughout the halls, and several paused in what they were doing to watch him curiously. The padawan who'd met him at the door didn't even seem to notice, moving easily in her billowy robes.

"If you were going to see the Council, you'd go down that hall," the girl pointed out. "The dining halls, meditation chambers, and other common areas are also that way. Occupational rooms would be straight ahead, and our training rooms are on the lower floors, as well as the library and classrooms. Dormitories and personal quarters are also downstairs, which is where we'll be going."

"Don't you ever get lost?" Korkie asked curiously.

"No, not really. I've lived here my whole life, so it's all I know." She smiled. "Guests are often overwhelmed by the sheer scale, but it's a lot like a small city. We're very nearly self sufficient. Almost everything is made in house, with the exception of some transportation, though our machine shop makes a good portion of our replacement parts."

He followed her down a set of stairs, surprised when they found themselves in a small garden. There was a pair of Jedi sitting side by side, one an older woman and the other a young boy. An assortment of stones levitated in the air around them, suspended as if in the vacuum of space. But how?

"They are using the Force to become one with their surroundings," the padawan replied, seeming to sense his unspoken question. "It's especially useful on the front lines, when you need to be aware of what's going on around you at all times. Master Jilyhan is one of our best generals, and her apprentice will start accompanying her on missions in just a few months."

The front lines? The younger Jedi looked to be four or five years younger than himself; it was mind-boggling to think that he was going to be thrust into the midst of a war. He wasn't sure why he was so surprised by the idea-after all, it had been traditional for Mandalorian children to participate in war as well.

"Korkie!"

Both he and his guide turned to see Siri jogging down the hall, drawing disapproving looks from some of the lingering Jedi in the corridor. If she noticed, she didn't let on, offering the padawan a bright smile. "Kalen, right? I can take him from here. Tell your master I'll be dropping by for caff later on."

The girl smiled and bowed. "Of course, Master Tachi. It was a pleasure meeting you, your highness."

He nodded, watching her glide away briefly before turning to the blonde Jedi. "I hope I didn't come at a bad time."

"Not at all. I just finished a sparring session with my apprentice when they told me you were here. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"I got to see more of the Temple, so I don't mind in the least." He exhaled slowly, looking around the room. "It's a beautiful place."

She smiled. "It's home. I've lived here for nearly as long as I can remember. I'd give you the tour, but that might take a few days, and I'm sure her Grace wouldn't take too kindly to that."

Korkie shrugged nonchalantly. "Frankly, I don't much care what she thinks right now. Right now she's busy preparing for our return to Mandalore."

"I see you've healed well enough," Siri observed, looking him over. "The Senate was half afraid that you were going to press charges against us because of your injury."

"Joining the mission was my choice. Of course I wouldn't blame you."

"Master Tachi."

She cursed under her breath, turning slowly. "Master Windu, what a surprise. I thought there was a council meeting scheduled."

The stern looking master folded his hands together. "That was where I was on my way to now." He turned his focus on Korkie, brow furrowing. "Padawan, have we met?"

He blinked, looking around him, only to belated realize the Jedi was talking to him. "Oh, no, I'm not…"

"This is Crown Prince Korkie Kryze, of Mandalore," Siri interrupted. "He's the one who assisted us with the slave ring bust."

Something in Windu's eyes changed, and he suddenly looked ten years older. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Of course he is." He straightened, reverting back to the stern Jedi Master. "Since you're here, we might as well bring him before the council and get the full story."

Siri's eyes widened. "Surely that isn't necessary…"

"It was reckless of your team to allow someone who isn't a Jedi to participate in the mission without due reason." Siri started to protest, but Windu held up a hand to stop her. "I know what you've said. But it would be better if we could get his testimony ourselves."

Her mouth pinched. "He's a minor. Isn't he supposed to have his guardian present?"

"He joined a Jedi investigation, whether it be with or without his guardian's permission, which means that he is solely responsible," Windu replied, sounding irritated. "Your Grace, if you'll come with us. This shouldn't take us long."

Korkie followed obediently, more than a little unsettled by the sudden turn of events. Perhaps his mother had been right-he was only asking for trouble, being here. As it was, he'd sneaked out of the apartment under the cover of her Grace's retching, leaving Amadi and Geris to comfort her.

He wasn't proud to admit it, but their relationship had become even more strained over the past few days. Korkie knew she'd been doing her best to cope with the sudden change in circumstances, but it had been harder on her than she would admit. Somehow she was supposed to juggle her career, an unexpected pregnancy, and a son whom she'd never acknowledged. Not to mention having two former slaves lurking around the house and a host of Jedi seemingly at every turn.

Her Grace liked to be in control of her life and surroundings-she'd been that way for as long as he could remember, and he could sense her despair at being rendered virtually hopeless. He wasn't making it much easier on her, he supposed; he didn't mean to be difficult, but suddenly gaining a mother was hardly a straightforward task. Part of him wondered if too much damage had been done to ever let them take up their respective roles.

And when you threw the Jedi and their Force into the midst of an imbroglio, what was once a mess quickly rushed towards disaster.

"Have Obi-Wan and Quinlan made it back from Corellia yet?" Siri asked, drawing Korkie from his wandering thoughts.

Master Windu shook his head. "They're in route, but we don't expect them for another few hours. They were able to retrieve the slaves Solo was keeping there through the ship's records, though they were unsuccessful in capturing whoever it is behind the whole thing. With the information within the ship's database, however, there's little doubt that it won't take long to trace this back to the source."

"You have Korkie to thank for that. He's an excellent pilot-I doubt we could have gotten that piece of junk here intact if it wasn't for him."

"That's what I've heard." Master Windu slanted him a glance that made Korkie feel six inches tall. "I wouldn't have thought it would be in the curriculum of a Duke to learn how to fly a freighter."

"We have to get four hundred hours on the sims at the Academy to be licensed, so I've had plenty of time to get comfortable with the basic controls."

"Sims?" Siri's brow furrowed. "Wait a second. You're telling me that you'd never flown an actual freighter before?"

"No. We're not allowed to fly until we have a license."

Now both Siri and Windu were staring at him. "You have flown a ship before, right?" Siri asked.

He resisted the urge to squirm. "Twice, at a friend's house." Seeing their looks of disbelief, he added defensively, "I didn't crash it, did I?"

Neither of the Jedi said a word, expressions stoic as they resumed their walk. It wasn't long before they were in the Council chamber's spire, where Master Windu took a seat among the ring of Jedi, one of whom was conspicuously missing-he supposed that must be Master Kenobi. There were two Jedi who appeared by hologram, and Korkie quickly became woefully aware that he'd not kept up with the Jedi as he had in years prior.

It was odd, standing in their midst-he could sense the undercurrent that connected all of them, and though they never said a word aloud, he had the distinct feeling that they were having some sort of silent conversation.

He didn't like it at all.

One of the only Jedi he recognized, the legendary Yoda, clasped his hands together, ears perking up. "Nephew of the Duchess Kryze, you are?"

"Yes."

The tension flared, the council members exchanging looks.

"A Jedi investigation, assisted Master Tachi's team in, you did. Idea, whose was it?"

It took him a few moments to unravel the two sentences. "Siri and Master Kenobi had approached me to get information on Solo, the slaver that I had dealt with. I was still in contact with him and volunteered to help track him down."

This time it was a Togrutan master who spoke. "Do you believe that the enslaving of beings is moral?"

He stiffened. "Far from it, Master Jedi. I did buy Amadi, but only so that I could set her free. I would have done the same with all of them if I'd had enough."

There was a murmur of affirmative sounds around the room, and Korkie relaxed a bit.

"The report states that you were treated for injuries after the event. How did it happen?"

"I was shot twice when we fled and ran into the ship's ramp, bruising a few ribs. I have made a nearly full recovery."

"It has been brought to our attention that you are not a licensed pilot, nor are you experienced beyond a simulation," the slightly familiar looking nautolan observed. "Yet you managed to pilot a failing ship _while injured_ and safely deliver well over a dozen passengers without any apparent damage to ship or the occupants of the spaceport. What excuse do you present?"

Korkie shrugged. "I'm a Mandalorian."

Silence fell over the room like a saturated cloth over fire, yet he knew that they were far from quiet.

"For the record, could you please state your date of birth?"

Siri, who'd been quietly standing behind him until then, stepped forward. "Masters, is this necessary? Surely this is a matter of public record…"

"Correct, Master Tachi is. Speculation, the council must not resort to." Yoda's green eyes opened, focusing on Korkie. "Done a great service for the Jedi, for the Republic, you have. Grateful, we all are."

Windu nodded in agreement. "Because of your participation and our regard for the Mandalorian sovereignty, the Jedi have agreed to extend our right of anonymity to you. Without your expressed permission or unless you choose to make it known yourself, neither your name or status will be made public."

A man of a species he didn't recognize-at least, he assumed it to be a man-narrowed his eyes. "We owe you a debt, your highness. Be sure you can rely upon us in the years forward. Master Tachi, make sure that the prince has a means to contact us."

Siri bowed. "Of course, Master Mundi."

Once again, Yoda's eyes closed, and he sighed. "Our regards to the Duchess, you must give. Dismissed, you are."

* * *

The moment the doors closed behind Siri and the kid, the council heaved a collective sigh.

"Sithspit," Shaak Ti swore.

Kit shrugged. "I warned you." He leaned back in his chair with a smirk. "And to think he's a pacifist."

"A Mandalorian pacifist," she mourned softly. "Why are all of the best apprentices not Jedi?"

Ki-Adi shook his head. "We have no proof-"

Depa gave him a look. "He has the Force, red hair, and is the 'nephew' of Duchess Satine Kryze. What other proof do we need?"

"Siri defended him," Adi observed quietly. "Are we to believe that she would reconcile with the idea?"

That gave everyone pause until Shaak said, "Perhaps she knows but wants to keep Obi-Wan from finding out."

"That wouldn't be above her," Kit agreed, feeling a bit guilty for saying it. "And considering the situation between them and the duchess…"

There was a low murmur of agreement, and they all fell silent again, seeming to be deep in contemplative thought.

Finally, Depa spoke up. "Assuming that he is the offspring of one of the best Jedi the Order has seen in the past several centuries… what will be done about him?"

Shaak shook her head sadly. "I don't know if I could bear to let such potential go to waste."

"He's too old," Ki-Adi retorted. "Look what has happened to Skywalker."

She frowned. "Anakin's young. He'll learn. Besides." The corner of her mouth quirked up. "This is practically a miniature Obi-Wan. Don't pretend as if you wouldn't be the first to volunteer to be his master."

Kit snorted. "He'd have a long line to get in. But Depa is right. What is to be done? Understandably, another Kenobi would be an asset to the Order, but there's little doubt that he'd be even more welcome with the Sith-who do not discriminate by age, might I point out."

 _That_ threw a somber weight on the room, and Yoda's ears drooped. "A difficult scenario, this is. Meditate on this matter, I must." He slowly rose, leaning heavily on his gimer stick. "More information, we must find."

For the first time since the kid had left the room, Mace spoke. "And what do we tell Obi-Wan?"

* * *

 **Oooh, it's been too long… What did you say? My last update was in March? Oops…**

 **I'm sincerely glad that so many of you have decided to stick it out… I know, I know, I'm the worst for drawing out updates for so long, but the girl's got a life which doesn't seem to care about my fanfiction. Anyways, I hope this was worth the wait!**

 **And now: the re-reading of all of your lovely comments and reviews because it's been way too long and my memory isn't the greatest.**

 **Rachaelizame (Ao3): I know, I know, I'm sad too. I might come back eventually (maybe even sooner than you think) but I don't want to leave you guys in the lurch, no matter what it might look like right now. I hope you continue to like the direction I've decided to take Siri's part in this whole mess of a plan-cross your fingers and hope for the best!**

 **Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay (FF): Honestly, I love your extended reviews so much! It's not often that I see how much of my work resonates with my readers, and your analysis really helps me out.**

 **Raina_The_Rogue (Ao3): AAAAAAAAAAAAAA (Also, yes we will see some more force user!korkie in the future-keep your fingers crossed!)**

 **Logan Bovard (FF): Thank you so much! I'll certainly try!**

 **PaperNPencil (Ao3): Aww, you're such a sweetheart. I try my best :).**

 **RiNa_reads_and_writes (Ao3): Well… It seems like they're not the only ones…**

 **NikyNox (Ao3): I'm glad that you've stuck with it so long!**

 **barelypassing4sane (FF): I hope you enjoyed the bit of extra Siri-and honestly, Obi-Wan needs to get a clue.**

 **francis1 (Ao3): Honestly, you get the biggest shoutout. Going through** _ **all**_ **of my stories and leaving dozens of comments? You have no idea how much you made my day!**

 **sc4589 (FF): I know! It's been a long journey, but I think we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.**

 **Thank you so much to all of you sweethearts who were sad that I'm leaving the Fanfiction community-I am too. But who knows? Maybe I'll be back. I've been reading a lot of my old favorites, and some new ones as well-might be just what I need to get the old plot bunny hopping again.**

 **Anyway, thanks again for reading, and I'll see you all in the next chapter in however many months!**


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Analysis and Agreement

Something was off.

Obi-Wan left the council chambers, feeling ill at ease. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened-he'd debriefed the council on their findings on Corellia, they'd discussed what to do with the now homeless slaves, and after a brief rundown on a new bill going through the senate, Yoda had dismissed them.

Seemingly, everything was normal. But for some reason…

He shook his head. Far too little sleep was throwing off his senses.

Common sense dictated that he should follow Quinlan's example and take a nap while his schedule permitted it, but some unknown force drove him to his datapad instead.

Armed with a cup of tea to ward off the ever-present threat of sleep, Obi-Wan locked the door to his room-a precaution, just in case Anakin should arrive unexpectedly. Not like a lock provided much of a barrier to the Chosen One.

After turning on his data encrypter-it was the only way that a Jedi could get a modicum of privacy-he opened the holonet, only to stare at the blinking cursor for a moment, unsure of what to look for. It wasn't so much that he didn't know what he wanted to search-though there was a certain measure of that as well-so much as he didn't know if he _wanted_ to know what he might find.

It was ridiculous, really. He was an adult, frightened by possibilities he'd refused to ever consider.

Finally, he simply typed, "korkie kryze," and hit search.

There was an underwhelming amount of results for the crown prince of such a planet as Mandalore. No doubt Satine had done her best to keep her nephew out of the media's hungry eye, and by all appearances she'd done an excellent job of it. Nearly half of the coverage on the boy was sourced directly from his appearance on Coruscant within the last couple of weeks. Farther back, there was a comment here and there about his appearance at one event or another, but nowhere near the coverage he'd expected. It was as if the boy had spent most of his life hiding under a rock.

At least, the past ten odd years.

It was strange. For a bit over five years straight, there seemed to have been regular coverage of Korkie's life. He'd been the ward of the new Duchess of Mandalore, heralded as a symbol of hope for the floundering Mandalorians. Though it wasn't the extensive coverage he was use to seeing for royal heirs, it was a marked change from the decade that came after it.

He couldn't quite figure it out. One day, Korkie had been a virtual torchbearer for the new generation of Mandalorians that Satine had placed such a value upon. Then, only a couple days later, it was as if he'd never even been the prince.

It wasn't until nearly a half hour of extensive research that he narrowed down the reason-he'd been sent off to school. The Royal Academy, to be precise. Still, he couldn't explain the near radio-silence that had seemingly taken over-there was nearly a two year gap between then and the next time he'd appeared in public with Satine again.

That was one of the strangest things. Though, by all appearances, Satine and the boy had appeared close before he'd begun his schooling-there'd hardly been a week go by without some mention of an outing or event they'd attended-he counted a grand total of seven meetings over the next decade. _Seven_. It was possible that they could have met in private more often, but it was hard to believe that there was no correlation.

He could understand that Satine might be loathe to distract the boy from his education-that much was like her. But it wasn't as if Korkie spent all of his time at his studies or the Royal Academy was on a different planet, or even a different city. From the calendar they had on their informational site, they were given weekends off and had extended breaks every couple months in which to visit family. Yet only two of the meetings seemed to have coincided with said breaks.

Obi-Wan sat back, rubbing his eyes as exhaustion whelmed him. Nothing made sense at half past three in the morning, especially when he hadn't slept in-

Force help him, he couldn't remember when he'd last slept.

His desk was covered in notes and graphs, few of which were legible and even fewer of which contained any useful information, but he would have to clean that up later. At that moment, all he wanted was sleep, so he closed out his search and flipped off the data encrypter before staggering in the general direction of the bed. He wasn't entirely sure if he made it-he bumped into something and only just registered himself falling onto a solid surface before his eyes slid shut for the last time.

* * *

"You need to leave."

Satine looked up from her tea. "Excuse me?"

"I made a mistake, asking Korkie to come to the temple." Siri shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "I didn't think that anyone would notice…"

Satine felt her breath escape from her lungs, gripping her mug tightly. "They know?" The Jedi nodded. "Who… how?"

"The Council. They wanted to question him about the mission." She sighed, taking the seat opposite. "I think they must have guessed it almost immediately. It's my fault, of course; after everything I did, Obi-Wan tried to get me removed from the mission and I made the mistake of questioning his loyalties." She flushed hotly. "I probably shouldn't be telling you about this anyway."

She'd never seen Siri uncomfortable, and had to admit it was a real treat. Tucking her feet under her, she gave the other woman a cold smile. "No, please, continue. The inner workings of the Jedi-it's all so fascinating."

Siri shot her a dirty look. "I'm trying to be nice."

"So am I. You're still here, aren't you?"

"The Council likes to keep boundaries-as long as our personal lives don't overlap into our business life, we're more or less left alone. The Council probably wouldn't have cared if Obi-Wan took me off the mission if you and he…" She pursed her lips, looking much as if she'd tasted something bitter. "If you weren't previously involved."

Seeing Siri squirm made Satine understand the other woman so much more. This feeling of having the upper hand-she wouldn't lie, it was exhilarating. "You don't have to say it like that."

There was no affection in Siri's eyes. "I'm trying to help you."

"That's what you say, but I'm not sure if I believe you."

"Force, how he puts up with you is beyond me," she mumbled. "The point is, the Council has been suspicious lately. Mace mistook him for a padawan, and telling him that this was your infamous nephew didn't help matters in the least. They'll want to speak with you, you know."

Satine sighed. "Of course they will. They…" she paused. "Wait-but isn't Obi-Wan on the Council?"

"He went to Corellia with Quinlan to wrap up the mission, so he was unavailable." Siri crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't worry, they probably won't tell him-at least, not without your or Korkie's permission. Besides, they like to be sure on everything. They'll pull the dates, run dna, check midichlorian counts and everything before they make a decision."

"Seeing as you seem to know so much about your Council, what sort of decision do you predict they'll make?"

"They won't want to make him a Jedi-he's too old for that."

Satine exhaled. "Thank the merciful deities."

"But they'll want him to be trained." Siri raised an eyebrow. "Korkie told me you know about the Sith."

"Of course I do. I'm a Mandalorian. Our history is about as entangled with the Sith as it is the Jedi."

"He said that's why you sent him away. You're a smart lady-he would've been a prize for some slimy Sith Lord to get his hands into. Which is why you need to let me train him."

Satine wrinkled her brow, more than a little taken aback by the sudden turn in conversation. "I'm sorry?"

"I'll escort you back to your dear Mandalore, teach him the basics of the Force so he won't get in trouble like this again. The Council will be appeased, Korkie will be more understanding, and you'll be able to rest easy."

"And you'll be off the hook."

Siri grinned, shrugging. "I suppose you could put it that way. Look, duchess, if you want you can put it this way: we both want the same thing. Why shouldn't we work together to get it?"

Satine raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in a threesome."

Siri barked out a laugh. "No, no, force forbid. Certainly not that." She coughed, her face pink. "I meant that we both want Obi-Wan to pursue his full calling as a Jedi."

"I see."

"Look, I was a bitch the first time we met, and I'm sorry." She tilted her chin up resolutely. "To be completely honest, I thought you were going to try and steal Obi-Wan away-if anyone could do it, it would be you."

"Thanks," Satine murmured drily, unsure of whether or not that was meant to be a compliment.

"I was a bit jealous, I admit it. I'm not sure if Obi-Wan ever told you about us. It didn't last long-I loved him, but I knew that pursuing any sort of relationship would only end up dragging him down, so I ended it." She glanced out the window, releasing a sigh. "No one believed in him-even Qui-Gon doubted his potential. I knew he was destined to become something greater, so I set aside my feelings. But when you came along a couple years later… He would have left the order, but you didn't ask."

Satine shook her head. "How could I? I spent the greater part of a year listening to him talk about his life with the Jedi, his plans, his future; there wasn't a possibility that I could have asked him to give that up just because he felt obligated to me."

"So you gave him up, just like I did," Siri stated smugly. "See? We're basically both on the same team."

"I don't know if I'd take it that far. Or have you forgotten what our first meeting was like?"

Siri flushed. "I was cruel, I know. I'd already found out Obi-Wan was on his way back when they sent someone to check on you, and I knew that he'd want to see you. I thought if I was there to give you some perspective about the whole thing, you wouldn't say something rash."

"You were afraid I'd ask him to leave? Because I was upset about his supposed death?" Satine wasn't sure if she should be shocked or angry. "You don't have much respect for my nerves, Tachi."

"I'd never even met you, so how was I supposed to know?" she asked indignantly.

"I don't know, but you didn't have to act like a jealous nexu."

"Who's a nexu?"

They both looked up to see Korkie standing in the doorway, clearly just woken up.

"Siri has suggested she come to Mandalore and train you. What do you think?"

His eyes rounded, flicking back and forth between the two of them. "Train? Like-like Jedi training?"

Siri glanced at her, clearly surprised. "At least the basics. I'm afraid that our run-in with the Council has blown some of your cover, but they'll not be inclined to take someone as old as you, I'm afraid."

"Right, of course." He ran a hand through his hair distractedly, setting the copper strands to stand on end. "You're not joking about this, are you?"

Satine smiled. "I'm perfectly serious. Siri believes it will benefit you to have a better grasp on the Force, and you've already surpassed my knowledge. However, to be clear-" she pinned Siri with a glare. "This will strictly be the essentials. You will not teach him combat."

Korkie's face fell and Siri seemed to wilt a bit. "But why ever not? You want him to be able to defend himself, don't you?"

"He's already taken self-defense, and even I know that Jedi can defend themselves without resorting to violence."

The other woman pouted. "Fine. What do you think, Korkie?"

He shot Satine an annoyed look, but his eyes still danced with excitement. "Sounds good to me. When do we start?"

* * *

 **Told you I'd be back! Did you miss me?**

 **After reading all of your sweet comments (which I really appreciate, btw), I just couldn't leave this chapter alone. I've spent some late nights on this baby over the last couple of weeks, so I hope you guys like it!**

 **And now my favorite part-replying to your comments!**

 **nightsisterkaris (Ao3): I'm so glad that such a small thing brought you such great joy! You've been one of my most faithful reviewers, and I was so pleased to see that you've stuck around for the ride. I'm glad you enjoyed it-hopefully this chapter gave you a little taste of what's to come!**

 **.L (FF): Glad to see you're still here! Obi-Wan seems to have taken a couple steps in the right direction, so we'll have to see how that goes!**

 **ii Digestive Reader ii (FF): Well, hello there! Let's just say sleep deprivation isn't very conducive to clear thinking-believe me, I've learned a whole lot about that these past few weeks.**

 **RLG (Ao3): Thank you so much for your sweet review! I don't recognize your username-is this your first time leaving a review? If so, thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to leave a review, and I hope to see you again! ;)**

 **Rachaelizame (Ao3): Aww, happy (belated) birthday! I'm so glad that I made such a special day a little bit better! It's been a pleasure to have you along for this long journey, and I hope you continue to enjoy!**

 **francis1 (Ao3): Shh! Don't give away spoilers!**

 **Jedi Master Misy Sman-Esay (FF): Such a wonderfully long review! (I feel so special :)) Siri's showing part of her hand, but I still feel like she's got a trick up her sleeve. I can't wait to see what happens when Satine's pregnancy comes out-Korkie was already a big surprise for everyone (sans Obi, of course), but this will certainly change a lot more things. Also, I'm so happy to see that you're still here! I hope you liked this!**

 **AlexaHiwatari98 (Ao3): Another familiar name-glad to see you back! I feel like I'm so used to writing Korkie as this sort of cinnamon roll; it's nice to bring a little malevolence into the mix every once in a while, though it may trigger a series of unfortunate events.**

 **Once again, thanks to all of you who've stuck by for so long. Hopefully the next update won't be months in the making-though no guarantee, as I've been suffering from some health issues for a while now. But I'm starting a new treatment plan (cross my fingers that this will be better) which means I can write more,**

 **For those of you who also read my story Rise, Lord Kenobi, the last chapter is in the works, but I've been dragging it out because I can't stand to be parted with one of my babies. I thank you for your patience, and hope to finish it soon.**

 **See you guys next time!**


	16. Chapter Fifteen:Motivations of All Sorts

_Smack_.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar datapad on his coffee table, Quinlan standing over it menacingly. He blinked a couple times to try to remove the lingering cobwebs in his mind. He'd been meditating. At least, he'd been attempting to, but the fogginess in his brain hinted that he had not been meditating.

He'd been asleep.

Hell. He couldn't remember the last time he'd fallen asleep while meditating.

He fought the urge to stretch and yawn, hoping his friend didn't notice his fatigue. "What's that?"

"Why don't you take a look for yourself?"

Quinlan was blocking him. Obi-Wan felt a hint of panic curling around him. Quinlan never blocked him. "I'm not sure I want to."

"Oh, I think you do."

"You're frightening me, Quin. Sit down at least."

"Fear leads to anger…"

Any time that Quinlan began spouting off Jedi adages, bad things happened. The hint began to bloom. "Can you at least tell me what it's about?"

Finally, the kiffar sat, avoiding his gaze. "You sleep like a log, Kenobi."

"What the-Quinlan, if you have something to say, I'd rather you come out and say it, rather than all of this beating around the bush."

"Do you think there's a possibility that Korkie might be your son?"

Obi-Wan's heart felt like it stopped dead. He swallowed, forcing himself to exhale. "How can..."

Quinlan looked up. "It's a yes or no question."

He hated Quinlan's eyes. Obi-Wan had always been particularly adept at twisting his words-or more plainly put, lying-but something in his friend's gaze stopped the words from coming out. Or maybe it was the fact that, no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many times he repeated the words, he could never bring himself to believe it.

He looked away, unsettled by the jumbled mess he was becoming. "Yes."

"Do you plan to do anything about it?"

Obi-Wan tried and failed to tamp down the irritation quickly growing inside of him. "I said it's a possibility, Quin. You can't plan on possibilities-"

"That's what I thought you would say. That's why I made sure to bring back up." Quinlan crossed his arms over his chest, nodding to the datapad. "You want to know? I took the liberty of doing some digging on my own. The results are all in there."

He swore. "That's an invasion of privacy, Vos-both mine and the boy's."

Quinlan snorted. "Please. Everything I found was a matter of public information. I just took the time to put it all together. Besides, don't act all high and righteous. I know you've been doing your own research."

"How-"

"Like I said, you're a sound sleeper. I came in yesterday morning to find you passed out in the middle of your room." His friend scoffed softly. "If you don't want rumors spreading all over the temple, Kenobi, you probably shouldn't leave your notes all over your desk for anyone to find it."

"In my _private_ quarters is not where anyone could find it," Obi-Wan protested. "If I can't trust my things in my own room, where can I trust them?"

Quinlan shrugged. "That's your problem, not mine."

"Damn it, Vos-"

"Do you want to see it or not?" The kiffar replied, cutting him off.

He hesitated. "I suppose it depends on what it says."

"You already know what it says. I wouldn't be here if it didn't say what you know that it says."

"If that was meant to inspire confidence, I regret to inform you it didn't," he murmured drily. Then, the full implication of what Quinlan was saying hit him. "You're sure about this."

"There are no coincidences…"

"...only the Force." Another adage. He felt a shiver travel down his spine.

"You can see for yourself. I took the liberty to compare some of your notes to a general timeline. There are a couple of holes, of course, but otherwise it's pretty self-explanatory."

He took the datapad gingerly. "I swear, Quinlan, if this is some sort of sick joke, I'll personally dump you into a sarlacc pit."

The information seemed straightforward enough. Quinlan had always enjoyed and excelled at making charts of all varieties, a largely useless skill. Except, perhaps, in this particular scenario.

Obi-Wan swore under his breath. The kiffar had done his homework, and it showed. Every pertinent detail-and even some that weren't so important (there had been absolutely no reason to make such an elaborate description describing his and the Duchess's "torrid affair")-were all included.

So many details…

 _There are no coincidences, only the Force_.

Bloody hell.

He released a long, shuddering breath. "If he is… I can't believe she didn't tell me."

"If it helps, I don't understand it either. You can find virtually anything on the holonet, but motives continue to allude me." Quinlan propped his elbows on his knees, setting his chin on his clasped hands. "I'm pretty sure he's Force-sensitive, you know."

"Is he?" Obi-Wan wasn't surprised. It was rare that a Jedi didn't produce Force-sensitive offspring. "That explains a lot."

"What do you plan to do?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "Satine rarely lies, but when she does she typically has a good reason. If she believes that it's important that I know, then she'll tell me."

"She's had eighteen years to tell you. If she hasn't told you, then no doubt she never plans to. Besides, what good reason could she have had to hide the fact that you have a kriffing son?"

Obi-Wan shrugged, suddenly longing for a whiskey. He stood and went to the kitchen, pulling out a couple of glasses. "I was-am-a Jedi, Quin. I chose this life over her."

"She never asked-"

"She shouldn't have had to. I could have chosen to stay with her, but I didn't." He exhaled, pouring a couple fingers into each. "Perhaps I should have."

"Kriffing loyalists," Quin muttered, accepting the glass. "Trying to get you to realize that she's not perfect is harder than clipping a Nexu."

"I never said she's perfect. No one is." He stared down into the amber liquid, swirling it gently. "But she is human, and while we're certainly not without our flaws, we generally like to have some motivation behind our actions. But perhaps you wouldn't understand that."

Finally a chuckle. "Look, just because I don't have your crappy blood doesn't mean you can be all high and mighty with me."

"My blood isn't crap." Compared to a Kiffar's-which was able to process nearly twice as much oxygen as the typical human's-it was inferior in nearly every way, but it got the job done.

"So you're not going to confront her."

His smile vanished and he contemplated his whiskey again. "No."

Quinlan swore soundly. "Then you kriffing deserve to be a miserable bastard. Kriff you. You and your kriffing Duchess." He tossed back his glass. "I can't believe you. Either of you."

"What do you expect me to do?" His grip on his untouched glass tightened, a thread of anger threatening to rise up. "It's been eighteen damn years. They've survived well enough without me."

His friend just stared at him as if he'd gone to bedlam. "He's your son."

"Biologically, perhaps, but I don't even know the boy." He raised the glass to his lips, draining it of its contents. "And honestly, it's probably better that way."

* * *

This time, they were more careful.

Siri had given him a map of the temple and marked off one of the busier entries where his presence would likely go unnoticed, especially in his plain, tan robes. They'd elected to have him meet her at her quarters, more logical than "accidentally" bumping into each other somewhere in the halls.

Still, his presence didn't seem to go entirely unnoticed. Several Jedi glanced at him curiously as he made his way through the massive halls. No doubt they sensed his awe at his surroundings-he'd found himself sidetracked several times, by a hangar, a garden, a meditation chamber. Still, he managed to find Siri's quarters before any unfortunate run-ins with council members.

A master's personal chambers were far sparser than he'd thought they'd be. As Siri fixed them both something to drink-tea for him, caff for her-he glanced around the living quarters, a warm-colored room with a few pieces of comfortable looking but nondescript furniture.

"We're not allowed to have many possessions," she said, answering his unspoken question. "Now more than ever we have to be ready to leave everything at a moment's notice. It's easier to do it when there's nothing to leave."

The no attachments rule, of course. "It actually reminds me a bit of my dorm at the Academy. When you share a room with three other people, you don't exactly have much leeway to decorate."

She wrinkled her nose. "Force, that's awful. I haven't shared a room since I was an initiate, and I hated it even then. Never have any privacy."

Korkie shrugged. "It's not that bad. I've always shared quarters, except for a couple years when I lived in the palace."

She took a gulp of her coffee, sputtering. "Hell, that's hot. Will you be moving back, now that everything's resolved between you and her Grace?"

"It's more of a matter of when rather than if," he admitted, taking a much calmer approach to his tea. "Once I graduate and assume my position, I'll be expected to live in the palace. Her Grace has made it clear that I'm welcome to return at my leisure, but I'm still not sure."

"Not sure? What is there to not be sure about?" She held out both of her hands, as if they were scales. "On one hand, you can stay in a tiny dorm with three of your classmates. On the other, you live in a palace with the mother you never knew you had, everything you could ever want at your beck and call. Not to mention you'll have a Jedi available whenever you'll need her and a pretty girl to keep you company if you're feeling lonely."

He raised his eyebrows. "I certainly hope you mean Amadi when you say pretty girl. No offense, but you are literally my dad's ex."

Siri smacked him in the back of the head. "Insolent pup. I'm not sure you deserve that girl."

"I don't." Yet, somehow, she was under his protection. "As it is, I plan to give her and Geris their own households to maintain. I bought her with the intention of freeing her, and I plan to stick by that resolution."

"Force help us, you're the same as your father." She shook a finger at him. "If you keep this up, you'll end up just like him as well. Depressed, alone, and too fond of alcohol for your own good."

"My mom thinks I'm doing the honorable thing," he replied defensively.

Siri laughed. "Right, another person who's depressed and alone. Ask her how the honorable route is working out for her, won't you?"

"You're alone," he pointed out.

"By choice. I'm not stuck in the past, pining over someone I can't have." There was an edge to her voice as she said it, the slightest hint of an untruth. "But we're not talking about me. My life's half gone. Yours is just beginning."

Korkie eyed her warily. "This wasn't just an excuse for you to give me a psychiatry session, is it?"

"I'm a psychologist, but no." She offered him a sheepish look. "I'm sorry, old habits die hard. No, I wanted to show you something."

Curiosity peeked, he followed her out of her quarters and into the hall. "What is it?"

"Just a little something I thought you might be interested in. It isn't far." She began to stride off, then stopped when she realized he wasn't following her. "Come on. It's a surprise."

"I hate surprises," he grumbled, following her grudgingly.

Her lips quirked into a smile. "No one hates surprises."

"Her Grace hates them too."

She waved him off dismissively, palming open a door to a lift and stepping in. "That's just because she's never had a good one."

He wrinkled his nose, indignant. "She had me."

Siri barked out a laugh. "Besides you," she amended. "But this is a good surprise, and I think you'll like it quite a bit."

The lift doors opened, letting them out into another hall. This part of the temple felt practically empty, but a low hum told him that there was someone-or something, at least-there. A single man sat at a desk in the middle, surrounded by a monitor system of some sort.

"Master Tachi, good to see you," the Jedi exclaimed, rising from his seat. His silver eyes narrowed on Korkie. "And who is this? I could have sworn your apprentice was taller last I saw him."

"Enic, this is Prince Kryze of Mandalore. He's a student at the royal academy in Sundari, and the most promising of their piloting program." She beamed at him as if he she were the one responsible for the supposed accolades. "He's visiting Coruscant with the Duchess, and expressed an interest in the sims we have."

The man's eyes widened, looking over Korkie again. "I see. It's a pleasure to have you, your highness. We pride ourselves on keeping the finest and most diverse collection in the galaxy, though I've heard the Royal Academy's own selection is exceptional."

"The Academy was one of my aunt's pet projects, and she continues to see that we're well provided for." Korkie was proud of how diplomatic and calm he sounded. The Jedi's collection of flight simulators was galaxy renowned as being the best to be had, constantly updated and added to.

Enic nodded. "I had the opportunity to speak with the Duchess a number of times while the flight program was in development. She's always been very passionate about it."

He couldn't hide his curiosity. "You spoke to her about it?"

"Oh, yes. That would have been quite some years ago now, over a decade now. She was quite a lovely girl-I could see why Jinn was so fond of her." He crossed his arms over his chest, the corner of his mouth turning up. "I still talk to her every now and then; she's the first person I call whenever we have to clear out the old warehouse."

He could sense the same amazement from Siri that he felt himself. The man acted as if it was completely normal for Duchesses to make inquiries about flight programs they sponsored. Perhaps it was, and he just hadn't been paying attention to his lessons on the duties he'd undertake as a Duke. Somehow, though, he'd always assumed that the school handled all of their own curriculum and equipment, and any royal support was primarily monetary.

Perhaps he'd been wrong.

Seemingly unaware of the train of thought he'd set off, Enic motioned to the hall littered with doors. "Would you like a tour, your highness? I'm afraid we're quite empty today, but at least you'll be able to see all of our lovely machines. If you have the time, you can even try a few, if you'd like."

Any and all thoughts about his mother and the Academy fled his mind, replaced by a giddiness he hadn't felt in years. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, of course. It'd be my pleasure." He hurried back to his desk. "Here, let me just get these things turned on…"

As the man hovered over the controls, Siri leaned a little bit closer to him. "Are you sure you still hate surprises?"

Korkie shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "If you think that I'll change my mind because of a couple sims…"

Enic straightened. "There we are. Just had to get the Delta-7 online. Are we ready, then?"

Siri grinned. "You were saying?"

* * *

 **Well, hello there!**

 **Another chapter in the bag. I know it's been a couple months, but as some of you might have seen, I've been spending them laboring over the last chapter or Rise, which went up a few days ago. I really appreciate the hugely positive response to that, but I thought it was about time I threw you guys a bone as well.**

 **Thank you to all my lovely reviewers, I'm quite surprised that there were so many of you despite the long wait.**

 **ii Digestive Reader ii (FF): Well, denials a bit of a thing of the past now, isn't it? Though our dear Obi seems loath to let go of complacency. It almost seems that Siri's the only one willing to do anything.**

 **.L (FF): I've got an idea for more Siri and Satine shenanigans to come, so I'm glad you enjoyed! But who knows what will happen now that Obi's (kinda) in on the secret?**

 **francis1 (Ao3): I'm glad you enjoyed as always!**

 **starbucks22 (Ao3): Thank you! She might very well be my favorite character of all time. I can only hope I do her some justice!**

 **Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay (FF): Oh, I can't wait to see what he does once the shock wears off. Though I suppose now the real question is-how long can everyone pretend that they don't know?**

 **sc4589 (FF): Well, we've gotten something of a reveal, though not from the way we might have thought. And I'm glad you're enjoying Siri's part-it's really become one of my favorite elements of this story.**

 **RLG (Ao3): I'm glad you enjoyed! We've certainly not seen the last of the council, meddlesome creatures that they are. Who knows what mischief they'll get up to?**

 **Phantombunny_18 (Ao3): Subtlety is certainly not the council's specialty, lol. Obi-Wan's period of obliviousness (is that a word?) has come to an end, though he doesn't seem to like that. We'll just have to see what he's going to do about it, won't we?**

 **Bellowing_gnome (Ao3): Force help me, I plan to finish this, and hopefully not take another year to do so. I'm so glad you've been enjoying it!**

 **Rachaelizame (Ao3): I knew I was missing somebody! I really wonder, how long will everyone get away with not telling the truth? You'd think they'd have learned that never goes well.**

 **AlexaHiwatari98 (Ao3): Good to see you're still holding on to this struggling beast! I know he's playing it cool now, but I wonder what our dear Obi-Wan's really thinking under that facade?**

 **Guest (FF): Ask, and you shall receive.**


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